Baby Girl
by GuardianOfTheThunder
Summary: When the only female of Team 7 slowly transforms into a baby, what would the team do? [Taking place several years after the Fourth Shinobi War and before Kakashi was appointed as the new Hokage.]
1. Chapter 1: Surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I hope I do, but I don't. :)

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Chapter 1: Surprise!

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"Sakura!" Tsunade called. Her eyes were intense as she sat behind her table and stared at her favorite student.

"Yes, Shishou." Sakura responded. She looked at the Godaime with curious eyes as her master placed an open scroll at the center of her table.

Tsunade waved for her to move forward allowing Sakura to peer over the table and see the scroll which held the writings of the Legendary Transformation Jutsu.

"Sakura, listen carefully ..." Tsunade started.

"I would like you to review this scroll and develop a new technique…not only to extend my youth, but to make me appear younger…"

"But Lady Tsunade…you already look younger than your age." Sakura interrupted.

"Let me finish child!" The Hokage boomed **—** crease already evident on her forehead.

Sakura took a step back, surprised by her master's cranky attitude. She guessed it was due to the lack of sake in her system, then Tsunade sighed.

"Can't you see these wrinkles?!" The Godaime pointed to the corner of her eyes.

"Even this damn Transformation Jutsu has no match for these…these god forsaken papers!"

Sakura scanned her eyes to the piles of papers and reports not only on top of her master's table, but also on the floor where mountains of documents were stacked with no particular order around her.

The Godaime continued her rants.

"…And Shizune won't even let me take a sip of sake!" Tsunade whined.

"I could feel my blood boiling! My blood shouldn't be boiling; it should be the sake that's boiling in my system!" The blonde woman slumped her head on the table and slowly raised her hand.

"Even my right hand looks a hundred years older because of the number of documents I have to sign. Ugh."

Sakura watched her master sluggishly detach her head on the table and sat straight.

"…That's why I need you to develop a new technique that would make these damn wrinkles disappear, and one that would make me…hmm…slimmer. I've been eating a lot lately." She said, when Sakura saw a sparkle on her master's eyes and she felt dread slowly crept on her spine.

"Unless you want to take over for a bit, maybe for the first 500 reports?"

Even before Tsunade could coerce her on what she wanted, Sakura had already snatched the scroll and raced to the door.

"I'll take care of this Shishou! I'll send you my report as soon as I've figured something out!" Sakura called over her shoulder as she made her escape.

Nobody wanted to take over the Hokage's paperwork. It was like dying in the field of battle without even getting a chance to fight! And Sakura knew her master. She was one hell of a slave-driver, and she's not going to endure another round of paperwork torture from her.

Sakura shivered when another feeling of cold dread crept over her bare arms.

She needed to develop a technique soon, or else, even she couldn't escape her master's wrath.

* * *

"What's taking them so long?!" Naruto asked. He was already at the training grounds with Sasuke, trying to be look patient as he waited for his teammates.

It was still quite early in the morning when he took his way to the training grounds. But when he arrived, Sasuke was already there, leaning his back on a nearby tree. Now, the sun was almost overhead and two of his teammates were still missing.

Naruto slumped on the tree where Sasuke was leaning, his arms crossed over his chest. His raven-haired best friend still stood silent while Naruto reminisced the conversation they had with Kakashi the night before **—** hinting them about a mission which they have to accomplish.

He sighed.

"Oi, Teme," Naruto called, and Sasuke only looked at him. "I understand that Kakashi's late. I mean, he always is. But Sakura…"

At that moment, their former sensei emerged with a poof atop a tree branch where both of them were leaning.

"Hey you guys! Good morning. Sorry I'm late. There was this family of turtles crossing on the street while I was on my way here. I really didn't want to cross over them but there was no other way, so **—** " Kakashi started, with the all too familiar crinkle in his visible eye.

"Stop making excuses Sensei! You've been late ever since I was 12 years old!" Naruto exclaimed wildly while Sasuke only let out a sigh.

"Naruto, how many times do I have to remind that you don't have to call me sensei anymore." Kakashi said as he landed with a soft thud on the grass in front of his two former students.

He eyed them carefully, realizing that he was missing one person on his team. He cocked his head slightly to the side and wondered. It wasn't like Sakura to be late on a meeting. In fact, she was always as early as Sasuke in going to the venue.

"Where's Sakura?" he eventually asked.

"Well, she hasn't arrived yet." Naruto replied.

"Has anybody contacted her?" Kakashi asked. Both his former students shook their heads.

"Maybe she overslept?" Naruto said.

"It's not like Sakura to oversleep." Sasuke said, shifting his hands inside his pocket.

"How would you know, Teme? Have you slept with her already?" Naruto teased, poking his best friend's arm.

"Shut up, loser." Sasuke said as he smacked the back of Naruto's head.

Kakashi sighed at the scene. Several years had already passed **—** hell, his team's not even teens anymore, but they never did change. That was what he was thinking as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Hmm…maybe she got sick? Sakura looked distant last night during dinner." Naruto guessed again.

"Yeah, she was a bit quiet." Sasuke agreed.

Kakashi mused over the scene from last night. They were at Ichiraku's, and Naruto was as lively as always. He and Sasuke even had a chopsticks fight…while Sakura ... yeah, she seemed a bit detached from the group.

"Or maybe…" Kakashi heard Naruto speak.

"She got abducted." The blonde only whispered the words but it made him and Sasuke stand alert.

The three of them looked at one another, and with a single nod, they all took the path to Sakura's apartment.

As the three ninjas rushed to their destination, Kakashi couldn't help but weigh what Naruto said.

 _'_ _Sakura? Abducted? That would be impossible.'_ He thought.

It was a time of peace among all warring countries after all. He couldn't even think of anyone who would want to break the peace pact, and kidnap the Godaime's apprentice. Kakashi pursed his lips behind his mask, hoping that what Naruto said was wrong.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was thinking of the same thing, but with more dread in his thoughts.

People might think that no one would dare break the peace pact, but a handful of people would dare cross him after all he had done. And how would they do that? By simply kidnapping his weakness, of course.

Sasuke felt his cheeks warm at the thought. Sakura **—** his weakness...one of the reasons why he chose to return to the village.

 _'_ _No.'_ He thought to himself.

Sakura was not the same girl he met when they were 12. The Sakura now was someone who could create craters into the ground with one single punch.

 _'Abducting her wouldn't be that easy.'_ He finally thought, as he focused his chakra to his feet and went after Kakashi with Naruto trailing by his side.

When the three of them reached Sakura's balcony, a bit of dread crossed over them as they stared at the closed curtains of Sakura's glass door. It was already way past 11 in the morning **—** her curtains should be open.

"Maybe she's not here?" Naruto whispered, when they heard someone deliberately clearing her throat.

"Ahem-ahem."

All three of them exchanged looks as they turned to where the sound came from.

In the third balcony from Sakura's right, they saw a plump lady, with thick make up, probably in her 50s relaxing at a chair outside her balcony. She still had her night gown on which hiked up to the middle of her thighs. She spoke.

"You know boys…if you really wanted a sneak peek, I could get a show on for you."

She dragged her long red nail on the hem of her dress covering her gigantic breasts and winked at them. The three shinobis shivered.

Kakashi immediately brought out his Icha Icha Paradise while Sasuke peered at Kakashi and pretended to be engrossed on the same book. He whispered.

"You know your book is upside down right?" Sasuke asked his former teacher.

"I don't give a shit at the moment." He answered, and it was Naruto who first spoke.

"Uhh, n-no thanks. We're just kind of resting. Gotta go!" and all three sped away.

Since the three of them indeed looked like peeping toms from the balcony, they decide to take the stairs up to Sakura's floor.

They all fell silent as they settled in front of her doorstep.

"I could feel her." Sasuke whispered.

"But her chakra signature's weak" Kakashi added.

"I couldn't feel any other human inside, do you think they've concealed themselves?" Naruto asked his teammates. Both shook their heads.

"No. She's alone." Sasuke confirmed.

"So is it safe to knock?" Naruto asked again.

"Go ahead." It was Kakashi who encouraged him.

When Naruto knocked on Sakura's door, they heard a little bit of shuffling from the inside.

"Sakura, it's us!" Naruto announced. "We got a bit worried when you didn't show up at the training grounds. Could you open the door please?"

They waited a moment, but there was still no answer. Only then they heard crashing from inside.

Kakashi and Sasuke instantly had kunais in their hands while Naruto was sent to panic mode.

"Sakura what's happening! Open the door or we're blasting through!"

That's when she answered.

"No! No! wait just a second!"

The three of them lowered their guards as they heard soft footsteps approaching the door, and some deadbolts and locks being slid from their brackets. They also heard the dragging of a chair and more shuffling.

"What's happening inside?" Sasuke silently asked as he was getting a little bit impatient.

"Uhm, Sakura, are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto? Is Sasuke and Kakashi with you?" asked the girl from behind the door.

Naruto suddenly became increasingly fidgety. Why was Sakura taking so long to open the door?

"Yeah they are. Why?"

They heard mumbling and strings of expletives being said.

"Wow, she could publish a dictionary of curse words with all the things she said." Kakashi commented.

Sasuke, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. It was definitely Sakura's voice behind that door, but it sounded different. Maybe she really got sick. He wondered.

"Uhm Naruto? Could you...could you use chakra to open the door? I…I can't unbolt the final lock. It's...it's too high." Sakura said.

Kakashi mentally imagined Sakura's height. Yes, as the only female of the group, she was a bit petite. But judging from the height of the door frame, it shouldn't be that high, so what's wrong?

"Hey! What happened? Did you break your leg or something?" Naruto asked.

"No! Just…just open the damn door." The muffled voice said.

"Fine. Then we're going in!"

With swift hand signs, Naruto placed his hands on Sakura's door frame and blasted the door.

"What the fuck, Naruto?!" Sasuke exclaimed through the thick smoke that surrounded them.

Clearly, such act disturbed half of the neighborhood, and people were starting to pour out from their rooms to evacuate.

"Wait! Wait! It's okay! It's a false alarm! This is just a simple drill!" Naruto announced to the people who eyed him warily.

"You're all safe! There's nothing to worry about! You may go back to your rooms! This is not an attack!"

Thank god, people knew him which made it easier for them to control the situation. When the smoke sort of died down, the people saw the blonde ninja whom they all knew too well and took his word for it. Almost immediately, the floor cleared. They even saw Kakashi ushering elderly people back to their rooms.

"You're such a dumb ass. So much for national emergency, Naruto." Sasuke exclaimed sarcastically.

That's when they heard a soft rumbling. Like a tiny growl...they weren't sure.

"Naruto!"

"Huh?" Naruto turned to the broken down door and slowly stepped in. The room was still engulfed with smoke and dust and he couldn't point to where Sakura was standing.

"Sakura, where are you? Are you okay?" he asked.

"I told you to simply open the door! I didn't ask you to blast through it! Look at what you did to my apartment! You're going to pay for this!"

And with one swift movement, someone kicked Naruto in the gut and sent him flying outside Sakura's room.

"What the **—**?" Sasuke whispered in shock, automatically assuming a defense position as he waited for the smoke to vanish.

When the smoke cleared, in front of him stood a girl with short pink hair, her tiny hands balled into fists, loose clothes almost leaving her shoulders, and such intense green eyes he ever saw. Sasuke gulped.

This girl is not more than 5 years old, he guessed as he watched her march outside of the room.

Naruto slowly stood to his knees, cradling his gut.

"Ow…Ow…Ow… Geez, Sakura. You didn't have to go that fa **—** "

 _SMACK!_

Naruto eyed the little girl who just smacked him in the face.

"Hey! What was that for?! And who are you?" he eyed the girl warily and realized that she looked like a little version of Sakura.

The little girl, on the other hand, snubbed him, turned her face and marched inside the room dragging her loose clothes to the ground.

Sasuke and Naruto followed the girl inside. The former still stood silent.

"Hey, I didn't know Sakura had a little sister?" Naruto said whispering to Sasuke.

"I guess having a wide forehead really runs in their family huh?" he sheepishly commented.

"Hey! I heard that!" the girl exclaimed, then a thick medical journal was sent flying their direction.

Sasuke just swiftly tilted his head to the side causing Naruto's face to catch the hardbound book.

"Ouch! Hey! Stop it will you!" Naruto shouted at the girl as he rubbed his face. "You! You're just as hot-tempered as Sakura! Where is she anyway?"

They watched the little girl's face turn into a frown as she started dashing towards Naruto. When suddenly, she fell flat on her face, tripping on her own dress clothes.

Naruto guffawed at the scene. Clutching at his stomach because of the intensity of his laughter.

"Serve's you right, kid!"

Sasuke, on the contrary, crouched in front of the little girl and helped her sit up. He was about to help her stand when she let out a piercing wail, deafening even Naruto who was the hyperactive blabbermouth of the group.

The girl's face was red, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Sasuke stood back and froze on his feet. He has simply no idea on what to do when kids start crying. That's when somebody lifted the girl off the ground.

It was Kakashi.

"There, there Sakura. It's okay." He cooed to the little girl, tucking her to his chest, helping her calm down.

Kakashi rubbed his free hand on the small of her back as he supported the girl's weight with his other arm.

"What?!" Naruto and Sasuke exclaimed in unison as they watched the scene unfold.

Sasuke kind of thought about it the moment he saw the little girl, but for his thoughts to be confirmed like this, he couldn't utter a single word.

The five-year old girl who was clutched to Kakashi's chest was their 21-year old teammate, Sakura.

The two ninja's watched as Kakashi wiped her tears from her eyes.

"What's happening?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.

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AN: Hello there! I'm kind of a newbie here and it would be nice to hear/read reviews from you. _[Well, if there's someone out there who's willing to read my story]_ Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story that I came up with. Thank you for reading! Will be updating very soon. :) Send lots of reviews!


	2. Chapter 2: No She's Not My Kid

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do, but I don't.

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 **Chapter 2: No. She's not my kid.**

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"Kakashi! How did you know it was her?" Naruto asked **—c** learly surprised by the turn of the circumstances as they followed their former sensei towards Sakura's kitchen.

"Well, she smells the same." Kakashi answered, perching Sakura on the counter top.

"Despite my mask, I have a very keen sense of smell, you know." Kakashi stared at the little girl and patted her head.

Sasuke took the high chair beside Kakashi and silently observed the scene, looking at Sakura once in a while.

"But how? It's impossible." Naruto exclaimed once more. "I mean, Sakura, turning into a child? That's insane!"

"It is possible, you know. With the transformation jutsu and everything." Sakura answered in her small voice.

She looked at Sasuke who was staring a bit intensely at her. She reached for his hand which was resting on the counter top and held his index finger with her small hand. Sasuke stared at it, still stunned at the fact the Sakura's whole hand was so tiny compared to his.

"Then surely you could transform back right?" Naruto asked. "I always do every time I use my Sexy Jutsu!"

"Don't you think I haven't tried that already?" Sakura answered, her brows furrowing at the center.

She let go of Sasuke's index finger and crossed her arms over her chest. Kakashi took the opportunity to adjust the collar of her dress clothes which already fell over her shoulder so her arms would show. Sakura continued to speak.

"I spent all night trying to figure out how to transform back. But every time I do, it just aggravates the transformation and changes me further to a younger version of myself!" She exclaimed. "Apart from that, I tend to change every hour or so. It's really frustrating."

Naruto was speechless. His brain still couldn't grasp the fact that 5-year-old Sakura's vocabulary was better than his.

 _'Aggravates, huh. Well that's deep.'_ He thought.

It was Sasuke's turn to speak.

"So you're saying that you still have the tendency to transform younger than you are now?" he asked.

"I guess so?" Sakura answered, but her voice was filled with uncertainty.

"But I've been like this for 5 hours already, I think this is the jutsu's limit when it comes to being young. That or I'll turn into a baby sooner or later."

"Well, that's going to be a problem." Kakashi stated, and the four of them simultaneously nodded.

"As of the moment, I'm really tired, guys." Sakura sighed as her head started lolling to the side.

"I really haven't slept yet and I'm hungry too! But I'm sleepier than hungry. So I guess, I'll just doze off a little bit." She yawned as the corners of her eyes started to glaze. " **—** and maybe when I wake up, I'll realize that this is all just a dream, and I'm back to my old self!"

The three boys stared at Sakura as she glided herself over the counter top like a lazy slug. Several seconds passed and she was fast asleep.

"We have to report this to the Hokage." Sasuke stated, and Kakashi nodded his agreement.

"But first I need you to collect all the things at that table." Kakashi pointed to a small dining table inside the kitchen where the scroll was, and probably some of the notes that Sakura has on the Transformation Jutsu.

After they've finished packing up, Kakashi gently carried Sakura off the counter top, wrapped her dress clothes around her and cautiously tucked her to his chest. They were long since aware that Sakura had lost her pants somewhere in the process. He turned to Sasuke.

"You know Sasuke, you could carry her if you want to." Kakashi said.

"I wanna carry her! I wanna carry her!" Naruto excitedly exclaimed to which he received a smack on the back of his head from Sasuke.

"Shut up, loser. You'll wake her up." He silently reprimanded Naruto before turning to Kakashi.

"No. You carry her. Since it seems that you know how to handle children best."

Kakashi nodded and smiled.

"So, are you both ready?" he asked. Naruto and Sasuke nodded.

"Let's go, then." And immediately, they moved out of Sakura's apartment and dashed towards the Hokage's office.

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"Hey guys, I'm feeling kind of nervous. Grandma's _sooo_ gonna get mad at us about this." Naruto said, eyeing Sakura who was still fast asleep in Kakashi's arms.

"Well, it's better now, or never. At least it'll all be over sooner." Kakashi said. "Now, let's move in."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded as they pushed the huge double doors of the office of the Hokage. The two of them first stepped in, with Kakashi only a few steps behind. They looked at the Godaime warily as she lifted her head from the piles of paper work in front of her.

"Well, if it isn't team Kakashi." She greeted.

"Good timing, I've got the mission scroll for you." Tsunade started rummaging in her desk, looking for the scroll when Naruto spoke.

"Uhm, Grandma? I-I'm afraid we can't push through with the mission." As soon as Naruto said those words, he saw the vein on Tsunade's forehead twitch. He took a step back, and gulped.

"What did you say?" she looked at them and finally realized that one of their team member was missing.

"Oh no. This doesn't look good." He muttered.

"Where's Sakura?" she asked.

All of them knew the Godaime was quite fond of her apprentice. A blow on Sakura was like a blow on the great shinobi herself. Kakashi and Sasuke all looked at Naruto hoping the he could save their asses.

"Hey, why are you both looking at me like that?!" he nervously asked. "Kakashi! You explain!" he pointed towards his former sensei. The Godaime shifted her look towards the silver-haired shinobi.

"What's the meaning of this Kakashi? Where's Sakura?" Tsunade's voice boomed throughout the Hokage's office as she stood up and slammed the palm of her hands on her table. They heard a small crack and the three of them almost crumpled to the floor.

"Oh god, this is probably the moment I'd die." Naruto whimpered.

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Well, she's here, but…" he started. He saw Tsunade's left eyebrow rise. "But she's incapacitated."

"What?! Where is she?!" The Godaime demanded. At that moment, Naruto and Sasuke cleared a path for Kakashi to walk through, and that's when Tsunade noticed the bundle of pink and red on Kakashi's arms.

The three of them saw Tsunade's temper rise as they felt the killing intent she had the moment Kakashi took his step forward.

"You fucking piece of shit!" she screamed, as she suddenly charged towards Kakashi and released a strong punch that would have ruptured his face lest he failed to dodge the blow.

Kakashi consistently escaped the attacks of the Godaime despite being confused of what's happening **,** when he accidentally stepped on a pile of paper which almost had him losing his balance. Good thing was, Sasuke and Naruto was able to block the Godaime's kick that was intended for his head.

Kakashi sighed, not realizing he was holding his breath all along while Naruto and Sasuke tried their best to drag Tsunade away from Kakashi.

"Grandma! calm down will you!" Naruto demanded.

"What?! But how could I calm down?! This—this…" Tsunade spat back, not being able to finish her sentence as anger once again seeped through her veins.

"Hokage-sama, please listen to what Kakashi has to say." Sasuke calmly stated.

The Godaime wasn't someone who simply listened to what others had to say, especially when her anger had already spiked, but the tone of the Uchiha boy helped her calm down a bit. So, twisting herself out of the grasps of the two shinobis, Tsunade looked at Kakashi once more.

"You!" she pointed a sharp finger at him. "How long have you been hiding your child with Sakura?!" she demanded.

Kakashi's eyes went wide, and so were Naruto's and Sasuke's.

"I can't believe that you took advantage of such a sweet, innocent girl! How could you! You…you…Argh!" she stomped her foot in frustration which shook the very foundations of the Hokage office. That's when she noticed Naruto trying his best to contain his laughter on the side, while Sasuke managed to hide a smirk.

"What?! What are you laughing about?!" she asked.

"Grandma! You got it all wrong!" Naruto answered in between contained laughter. Tears already started to form at the corners of his eyes. She heard Kakashi sigh.

"Kakashi, I think you better explain now, or I swear I'll cut your balls off, and pulverize them with my own hands." She threatened.

Kakashi looked at the sleeping bundle on his arms. Amused that she was able to stay fast asleep despite the commotion that took place. He spoke.

"As what Naruto said, you got it all wrong." He started. "This bundle right here isn't my child with Sakura…This _is_ Sakura."

"What?!"

Kakashi saw the shock that took over the Godaime's face and tried to explain once more.

"Besides, don't you think that what you just said is rather impossible?" he scratched the side of his cheek. "It's quite difficult to impregnate a woman who is always at your side, Tsunade-sama."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but Tsunade stopped listening the moment Kakashi said that it was Sakura whom he was holding.

In one instant move, she was already in front of him, staring at the sleeping child in his arms.

There was a spark of recognition in Tsunade's face as she stared at the child's pink hair, her astoundingly fair complexion, and the rhombus on her forehead. More so, when she stirred in Kakashi's arms and slowly fluttered her eyes open, revealing clear green eyes. It confirmed that the child was indeed Sakura.

"Shishou?" she called, startling Tsunade at how tiny her voice sounded. But the moment Kakashi rubbed Sakura's behind, she instantly fell back to sleep, snuggling closer to Kakashi's chest.

"How did this happen?" Tsunade asked.

Kakashi motioned for Sasuke and Naruto to reveal the scroll and place the notes on Tsunade's table and started explaining what Sakura had told them a while back.

Tsunade was silent for a moment, studying the handwritten reports of her apprentice.

"Well, it is possible if the hand signs aren't done correctly." She stated.

Kakashi, on the other hand, transferred Sakura to Sasuke, to better point on the important parts of his former student's notes. This made Sasuke turn into stone at the corner because of the little girl in his arms. Naruto couldn't help but poke at the little girl's cheek softly.

"Stop that!" Sasuke threatened, his voice low.

"But sleeping Sakura is so cute! You wouldn't even think that she's capable of breaking your skull, just by looking at her at this moment." Naruto said.

Sasuke looked at Sakura. He still couldn't fathom that she was carrying her child form in his arms. She was really tiny, but she was warm. His heart fluttered a bit when she snuggled closer to his chest.

 _'_ _So is this how it is to have a child?'_ he thought.

When suddenly, Tsunade smacked her forehead. Naruto and Sasuke turned to look at her.

"Shit!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"What is it, Grandma?" Naruto asked.

"I forgot that the scroll's incomplete. There's a second part to this which contains the second set of signs to complete the form."

"Where is it then? The second scroll?" Naruto asked again.

"It got lost along the way as I traveled back to Konoha. I was keeping tabs on it, but it kind of slipped off my mind because of these other papers." She stood silent for a moment.

"So you mean there's no way to turn her back?" Naruto retorted. Sasuke and Kakashi looked at the Godaime with penetrating gazes.

"Of course there is! I know how to turn her back. I've been in a pretty similar situation after all." Tsunade said, smiling.

She waved for Sasuke to move forward and pointed at a couch at the corner of her office. She motioned for him to set Sakura down. Tsunade approached the girl's sleeping form as the three boys stood silently beside her and watched the process.

Tsunade swiftly made some hand signs and when she was done, she planted her index and middle finger softly on Sakura's rhombus. There was a big puff of smoke.

"Sakura?" Naruto called, but there was no answer.

Instead, when the smoke cleared, all four pairs of eyes widened extensively.

"I don't understand." Tsunade whispered.

Before them laid a much younger looking Sakura. Her pink hair was shorter than before, her cheeks a little bit chubbier, and her form a little bit smaller than when Sasuke last held her.

"What did you do Grandma?!" Naruto asked. "She looked worse than before! I mean not worse—worse, but…you know what I mean. She's basically the same! Except she's gotten smaller!" Naruto complained.

They watched as Sakura stirred and fluttered her eyes open.

"Uhh—what's happening?" she asked, her speech was still comprehensible, but it held the accent of a child who just learned how to speak fluently.

"Sakura? How old do you think you are now?" Kakashi crouched in front of her and asked.

Sakura blinked more times and focused her eyes towards his former teacher. She slowly sat up, her dress clothes almost slipping over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade turned and went back to her table and started searching for something. She went back to where Sakura was and held out a mirror in front of her. Kakashi repeated his question.

"Sakura? How old, do you think you are?"

As Sakura peered at her reflection on the mirror. Her eyes broadened expressing the terror at what she saw.

"Shit." She muttered. "I'm three years old."

All of them stood stunned at the moment, not really knowing what to say. It was Sasuke who broke the silence.

"Didn't Sakura say that trying to transform her back would only aggravate her condition?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well, yeah. But Grandma is Grandma and she said that a similar thing happened to her before, right?"

Kakashi stood up from his crouched position and turned to face the Hokage. Sakura only followed their movements with her eyes. It was Kakashi's turn to speak.

"Well, Lady Tsunade? Could you tell us what happened back then?"

"Well…" Tsunade started to look all fidgety. "It wasn't really me who cured myself." She explained.

"Then who?!" Naruto demanded.

"Uhm, Old Grandpa Senju?" she said sheepishly.

"What?! The First Hokage?!" Naruto smacked his face out of his frustration.

"Hmm…this is indeed a problem." Kakashi muttered.

"I guess we just have to go and find the second scroll then." Naruto excitedly claimed. "We're going on a mission!"

"No." Tsunade said sternly. "I'll be asking Shikamaru's team to locate the scroll."

"B-but! Sakura's our teammate! We can't leave her like this!" Naruto complained.

"That's the point, you idiot." Sasuke muttered. "We can't leave her like this."

"Sasuke's correct." Tsunade agreed. "So, your mission as of the moment is to stay with Sakura until the second scroll is located." Tsunade ordered, and no further protest was heard.

Kakashi lifted Sakura from the couch when the child spoke.

"Hey, sensei." The silver-haired shinobi looked at child in his arms.

"I told you Sakura, you don't have to call me sensei anymore."

Sakura pursed her lips and spoke. "Well, it's kind of awkward not to call you sensei, considering that I'm three years old."

Kakashi sighed, still a bit amused that Sakura could speak so clearly despite her age. "What is it, then?" he asked.

"I'm hungry!" Sakura exclaimed. At that instant moment, Naruto beamed beside her.

"Then let's head to Ichiraku's! My system really needs some ramen right now." Naruto smiled.

"Bye, Grandma!" the blonde ninja waved as the four of them headed out the Hokage's office.

Tsunade returned to her table, took a seat and rested her chin on her palm. She let out a sigh as she studied Sakura's report. Her eyes narrowed at one passage which she knew all too well.

 _'Sakura has yet to transform. I hope the boys could handle her.'_ She thought.

"Uhh, Lady Tsunade," Shizune snapped her back to reality, not really noticing when Shizune came in.

"What?" she asked.

"You're smiling." She pointed out.

"Hmm…" the Godaime let out a small smirk. "Why yes, Shizune. Yes, I am."

* * *

AN: Yay, For Chapter 2! (^^,) And I would like to thank all those who gave their reviews for the first part of this story, it really made me so happy. Reading your messages really got me going and everything. I even had a difficult time contemplating whether this would be a SasuSaku filled story or a KakaSaku one. Both pairing has its own spark. Either way, I'll try to incorporate equal portions of humor and fluff for both _(I'm not sure, let's hope that I have the time)._

Hoping to read more of your reviews in the future. I promise I'll try to do better and live up to the fandom. _(What I said just scared me. Forget I ever mentioned something like this.)_ See you next chapter guys! Send reviews! :)


	3. Chapter 3: To the Uchiha Mansion

**Chapter 3: To the Uchiha Mansion**

* * *

The four ninjas went to Ichiraku's to have a late lunch, and also to discuss their so called 'mission.'

When they reached the place, Kakashi set Sakura down on his right, then Naruto sat on Sakura's right, while Sasuke took the seat on Kakashi's left.

The owner, Teuchi, who first had their back on them beamed when he saw Naruto along with the others. He called his daughter, Ayame, to start preparing clean bowls.

"I'll have my usual, old man." Naruto ordered. Kakashi and Sasuke nodded, signaling that they'd have the same.

"Oh, hey Naruto! Welcome back!" Teuchi greeted with a smile which eventually faded when he noticed that somebody was missing. "Seems like you're missing a friend, Naruto." The owner stated. The three ninjas looked at one another.

It seems like whenever they meet people, these people tend to look for Sakura. They guessed it's probably because of her unusually colored hair that people are more inclined to notice when she's missing; adding it to the fact that Sakura has already made a name for herself as one of the best medical-nins that Konoha has.

Kakashi simply gazed at the girl sitting beside him and to his surprise, she was looking straight back at him. Her small arms crossed over her chest, forming an 'X' with it. Sasuke also saw the small gesture.

Teuchi noticed that Kakashi was slightly looking down so he slightly moved forward to see what caught the attention of the silver-haired shinobi.

To his surprise, he saw a little girl with short pink hair, staring straightly back at him. The girl only went as high as the mid-level of Kakashi's arm. Teuchi smiled.

"Oh, and who do we have here?" he asked. Sakura smiled when the owner peered over her.

Naruto beamed and proudly exclaimed, "You know her, old man! She's Sakura!"

"Sakura's distant cousin. Her name is Momo-chan." Kakashi interrupted.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at Kakashi but caught Sasuke's eye. He was pretty sure that the look meant _'Shut up, or I'll strangle you with ramen noodles.'_ So he decided to nod and go on with what Kakashi was saying.

"Yeah! She's actually Sakura's representative." Naruto added.

"Oh I see! That's why she looked so familiar! She's just like Sakura's little version." Teuchi said. "She even has the same mark at the center of her forehead." The shop owner noticed.

"She really idolizes Sakura so she had Naruto draw a rhombus on her forehead." Sasuke supplemented Kakashi's story.

"Where's your lady friend then?" the owner asked. It was Sakura who answered.

"At the hospital Oji-san. That's why she asked these big brothers to take care of me!" Sakura explained.

"I see, I see." Teuchi nodded, bobbing his head up and down for agreement. "Then what will you have little lady?" he asked.

"If there's a small version of Naruto's usual, then I'll take it!" she beamed.

The owner boomed in laughter. Clearly amused at the little girl's cheerful personality. He then went to work to prepare their usual ramen.

As they waited for their order, Sakura started dangling her feet, moving them in slow casual motion. Then she started doing flutter kicks in the air below her. A moment later, she tucked her knees to her chest; next thing she did was, she grabbed Naruto's and Kakashi's sleeves as she supported herself to stand on her chair.

"What's the matter Sa—" Kakashi eyed him. "I mean Momo-chan? The ramen's gonna be ready soon. You just have to wait patiently."

Sakura pouted as she gripped the counter top and tried to keep still; still standing on her chair. Kakashi noticed that Sakura's behavior was slowly turning into that of an actual 3-year-old, but he also immediately understood Sakura's dilemma.

The little girl's attitude at the moment wasn't because she's hungry, well she probably is. But more so because her face couldn't even get past the counter top, that's why she chose to stand on her chair. At that instant moment, an idea popped inside Kakashi's head and a gleam could be seen in his visible eye. He lifted a squirming Sakura off her chair, and without even mentioning it, he settled her on Sasuke's lap which clearly startled the silent ninja.

"What the—" Sasuke whispered, stunned.

"C'mon Sasuke. I'm pretty sure Momo-chan's not that heavy." Kakashi said, smiling with his eye. "And besides, she'd be able to eat better now. Considering her face has already passed this counter top." Kakashi tapped his hand on the surface of the counter.

"Hey, Teme! If you really don't want to, _Momo-chan_ can sit on _my_ lap." Naruto teased. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at him, he spoke.

"We all know how you eat your ramen, you idiot. S-she stays on my lap." Sasuke stated, a tinge of pink grazed his cheeks. He moved his right arm on Sakura's side, but he still refused to touch her little form.

"If you say so!" Naruto chirped.

Sasuke then turned to look at Kakashi.

"Hey…" his former sensei looked at him. "What if…what if she falls down or something?" Sasuke asked. It was Sakura who answered his question as she looked up at him.

"Don't worry Sasuke, I can perfectly balance myself."

Kakashi let out a soft laugh while Sasuke smirked. Sakura just pronounced perfectly as ' _perfectwy_ ' in her soft little voice. Nevertheless, Kakashi still answered his former student's question.

"Well, if you feel like Momo-chan's losing her balance, just hold her side, or if worst comes to worst and she falls, just swiftly grab her clothes. I made sure to wrap them securely around her." He stated and Sasuke nodded.

At that moment Sasuke looked at his other hand, now thankful that he agreed to have his prosthetic arm attached. He imagined that even his artificial arm could still feel Sakura's warmth when he held her at the Hokage's office. He then turned to look at Sakura and was surprised when he saw the girl biting the edge of the counter top, when Teuchi's jovial voice boomed over them.

"Well someone's already hungry, maybe even more hungry than Naruto!" he laughed. Sasuke tentatively placed his right hand on Sakura's shoulder to gently detach her on the counter top. The owner started distributing their orders, even the tiny ramen version as well as their chopsticks.

When Sakura received hers, she split it in two but both went flying sideways, the first half to Naruto's hair which went unnoticed because the moment his ramen was placed in front of him, he forgot about the world, while the other flew high to Sasuke's side almost poking his eye.

"God, Momo-chan. Be careful." Sasuke uttered.

"I'm sorry, I guess even my 3-year-old hand forgot how to hold chopsticks." Sakura sheepishly smiled at him.

"Here you go, little lady!" Teuchi offered her a spoon to use in replacement of the chopsticks that went flying. Sakura grabbed it with her small hands. "—and that little ramen's on the house!" the owner said.

"Thank you Oji-san!" she answered. "I'm going to eat now!" she announced. Sasuke hesitantly placed his right hand on Sakura's side to balance her better as she started squirming the moment she started eating. Good thing he was left-handed which gave them enough space which they both needed.

"Well, that definitely made me feel better!" Naruto beamed as he rubbed his full tummy. "Though I still have no idea how Kakashi eats with his mask on." His former sensei only looked at him with an amused expression on his face. Sakura, on the other hand, sported a frown as he stared at Sasuke.

"What is it?" he asked. Sakura started clutching her dress as Sasuke noticed her face started to flush.

"Sakura, what's wrong? Tell me." He bent down to whisper so only she could hear. She looked at him with wide eyes as she suddenly blurted, "I need to pee, Sasuke!"

"What?!" Sasuke immediately lifted her off his lap, confused on what to do next. "Uhh—uhh…" he stuttered, still staring at Sakura's embarrassed face when somebody took the girl off his hands, it was Ayame.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." She said. Ayame carried Sakura over the counter top and went inside the shop. Sasuke sighed the moment such burden was lifted off his hand.

"Imagine _Momo-chan_ peeing all over Sasuke. That would be so funny!" Naruto teased.

"Now, now Naruto. Sasuke did a good job at trying to baby sit Momo-chan. Isn't that right?" their former sensei turned to smile at Sasuke, but he immediately reverted to his formal face the moment he started to speak about the mission.

"I think it's about time we decide where we should place Sakura at the moment." He said in a low voice, still careful not to blow Sakura's cover.

"Well, we can't put her back to her apartment, right?" Naruto asked.

"That's because you blew it up, you dobe." Sasuke muttered.

"Hey I didn't mean to do that!" Naruto spat back.

"And clearly, she can't stay in your apartment unless we want her to drown in filth." Sasuke commented, his words directly addressed to Naruto.

"Hey! That's harsh, Teme!" Naruto then eyed Kakashi.

"And we can't put her in Kakashi's apartment!" He exclaimed. "We don't know what kind of ecchi ecchi things he has hidden there." The two of them nodded.

"Then that leaves you, Sasuke!" Kakashi said. "Are you willing to accommodate two homeless ninjas and a little orphan girl, in your mansion?" Kakashi asked, his visible eye twinkling.

"Shut up. What choice do we have?" Sasuke muttered and sighed. His words were more of a statement than a question, signaling his agreement.

"Then it's settled." Kakashi announced. "We'll be staying at the Uchiha mansion until Sakura returns to normal. Let's meet there in an hour." His former students nodded. "Now if the both of you could pay for my ramen, then I'll be heading out first."

Even before Naruto and Sasuke could say their protests, Kakashi already disappeared, leaving a smoke cloud behind him. Both of them sighed.

"He really doesn't change." Sasuke muttered, when Ayame appeared holding a smiling Sakura on her side.

"She's okay now!" she said, and lifted her off to bring her back to Sasuke. But Naruto snatched Sakura away and propped her on his shoulder. Sakura giggled, and grabbed Naruto's hair.

"Sasuke, you pay!" Naruto pointed at him.

"You pay!" little Sakura imitated.

Sasuke sighed as he stood up and brought money down on the counter, and thanked the owner and his daughter.

"Ugh. People." He muttered. Rolling his eyes to the side.

Naruto eventually transferred Sakura back to Sasuke as they parted ways before going to the Uchiha mansion. He said he had to get some things from his apartment and assured Sasuke that he'll be at the mansion in an hour. He also promised Sakura candies when he returns. Now Sasuke was stuck and alone with Sakura in the middle of the road. The little girl clutching at his pant leg when Naruto set her down beside him before he left. He looked at her, and she was staring back at him.

Sasuke started feeling quite uncomfortable at the moment. Among his teammates, it was with Sakura whom he felt most distant. He thought it was really kind of understandable considering the numerous times he tried to kill her, but as Sasuke studied her eyes, he saw nothing but clarity and ease, and almost immediately, he started feeling better.

"I guess we have to go back to my apartment and get some things as well." Sakura said. Sasuke guessed that it would be faster if he carried the little girl, but he noticed that her arm was extended up to him, palm up.

"Won't your arms get tired?" he asked. Sakura shook her head, her pink hair fluttered from side to side.

"Nope, I'm a strong girl you know!"

Sasuke let out a small smile. So, instead of carrying her, he cautiously reached down and held her small hand as they walked a few blocks to her apartment.

"You know," he started. "I never did get the message why you had to conceal your identity to the ramen shop owner." He inquired. Sakura beamed up at him and answered.

"Well, that's because old Teuchi gives out free ramen to children who are first time customers! Aren't you happy you got a discount Sasuke?" she giggled and swayed Sasuke's hand with hers as they walked together to her apartment. Sasuke merely sighed but smiled eventually.

* * *

Sasuke set Sakura down the floor when they reached her apartment, and almost immediately, he saw Sakura crumple to the surface. She started whining.

"Ugh, remind me again never to walk that far! I forgot I had small legs! I thought it was nearer." Sakura complained.

Sasuke smirked as Sakura's words started to become slightly incomprehensible. Her 'Ls and Rs' started sounding like 'Ws.' He casually walked over to Sakura's fridge to get her a glass of water. It hasn't been long since he last stepped inside this place. After he finally returned, his team usually held get-togethers in Sakura's apartment, so he fairly knew his way around.

"You really didn't walk that far. I picked you up half way through." Sasuke commented.

"But it felt more like a hundred kilometers!" Sakura stretched her arms through the air, seemingly trying to show the 'hundred kilometers' using the length of her limbs.

Sasuke took that opportunity to lift Sakura and carry her towards her bedroom. She settled her on the top of her bed and gave her the glass of water.

"Now, what do you need?" he asked. He eyed the little girl as she gulped the water from her glass.

Sakura pointed at several drawers and cabinets until Sasuke was able to come up with one big bag filled with Sakura's stuff. Her things ranged from medical journals to t-shirts, which they both knew would be three to four sizes larger than her. Sakura also had to forego her qipao dresses as well as her shorts and half pants because she told Sasuke she wouldn't be able to wear them anyway. She also had in her bag dozens of toiletries she said she needed, but they were still faced with a huge problem, and it was about Sakura's undergarments.

"Of course I can't wear a bra!" she exclaimed, gaining a face-palm answer from Sasuke, his cheeks blushing slightly. "But I also need my underwear!" she started whining again, when suddenly, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably to where he was standing.

"What?" Sakura asked. Sasuke merely shook his head and remained silent, but Sakura didn't stop.

"Aha! You're wondering if I'm wearing one right now!" Sakura pointed an accusatory finger towards Sasuke. Admittedly, Sasuke's blush flared brighter which made the little girl giggle at her place.

"Of course I am silly." Sakura said in between giggles. "Kakashi did a really good job wrapping my dress around the important areas. Ayame even secured them tighter with a safety pin!" she explained. That's when an idea popped in her head.

"I guess we should just bring a couple of dozen pins with us!" Sakura exclaimed. She pointed to another drawer to which Sasuke approached and rummaged for safety pins while Sakura jumped from the bed and opened another drawer.

When Sasuke turned, his eyes went wide at the assorted underwear laid in front of him.

"I like this, this, this, this, and this!" Sakura pointed to several undies she had and Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he followed his gaze to all the things which Sakura pointed. One has tiny ribbons, others had tiny white rabbits on them, the others, he can't make out the design.

"Why do you need so much?" he asked.

"Well, what if I failed to get to the bathroom in time and peed myself, huh? Would you lend me your briefs?" Sakura asked.

"Or we could just buy you diapers." The moment such words came out of Sasuke's mouth, a handful of flying underwear was sent his way. Realizing that there'd be no escape, he begrudgingly caught them all.

"That's embarrassing! I'm a lady!" Sakura shouted.

"A little lady." Sasuke corrected and without saying much, he simply gathered all of Sakura's underwear and stuffed them immediately inside her bag. Sakura pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do you need anything more?" Sasuke asked.

Even with Sakura's brows furrowed, she shook her head.

"Fine. Then let's head out."

* * *

The sun was about to set when Sasuke and Sakura got to the Uchiha mansion. As Sasuke approached, he already saw a waving Naruto a few feet ahead of them.

"What took you so long, Teme, huh?" he asked.

Sasuke settled Sakura down to the ground so he could unlock the gates. A flash of memories suddenly got through his mind.

* * *

 _Sasuke remembered being discharged from the hospital. He really didn't know where to go next, but soon realized that he was left with no choice but to return to the Uchiha manor._

 _He took his steps home during that cold winter night, gladly welcoming the silence and the cold air around him. He never had a problem of being alone, he was used to isolation after all. That's why it surprised him when outside the gates of his old house, he saw several of his friends standing and smiling at him._

 _His former team waiting for him was actually more than enough, but what moved him the most was that his former friends, from the academy were also waiting outside the gates. He saw team 8 and 10, the remaining members of team 9 were present as well._

 _Shikamaru and Choji pushed through the entrance and Sasuke was welcomed with a warm light coming from inside his old house. His former team and the others renovated the old Uchiha manor so he could once again feel at home._

 _'_ _What are you waiting for, Sasuke-teme?' Naruto approached him and placed an arm over his shoulder. He merely looked at his best friend, confusion was plastered all over his face, but the blonde ninja simply smiled._

 _'_ _Welcome back, Sasuke.' Naruto whispered._

 _Sasuke merely let out a small, almost imperceptible smirk._

 _'_ _I'm home.' He whispered._

* * *

"Where's my candy?!"

Sakura's voice brought Sasuke back to reality. He turned and looked at his two teammates, Naruto rummaging inside his bag, while Sakura had her palm up.

"There! I found it!" Naruto exclaimed. But even before the blonde ninja could give the piece of candy to Sakura, Sasuke already snatched it away.

"Hey!" Both Naruto and Sakura cried in unison.

"Give me back my candy, Sasuke-Teme." Sakura said in his best imitation of Naruto.

"Wow, that's a good one Sakura!" Naruto grinned, when Sasuke turned to look at him.

"We can't have Sakura eating candy at this time of the day, she'll get sugar rush." Sasuke quietly admonished Naruto.

"And so?" Naruto answered back.

"And so, you, stupid dweeb," Sasuke mocked. "Somebody's not going to sleep later tonight because of this." He raised the candy he was holding, and turned to Sakura.

"No sugar for you little lady." Sasuke commanded and led the way inside the huge Uchiha compound.

Both Naruto and Sakura looked at one another and sighed.

"So this is how Sasuke's going to be when he becomes a father, huh?" Naruto whispered to Sakura as he carried her and followed Sasuke. "No fun. Definitely, no fun at all." He muttered, but Sakura simply smiled.

 _'_ _I like it.'_ She thought.

* * *

AN: And there you have it! That's Chapter 3. :) Again, I wanna thank those who are following this story, as well as those sending their reviews. I'm pretty surprised that there are people who are reading the Author's Note portion. You truly amaze me. You rock, guys!

If ever you think I'm leaning towards a particular pairing, then think again! HAHAHA! I could Game of Thrones the shiznit out of you people. Nope. Just kidding. I promised fluff for whichever pairings, and I'm that type of person who keeps promises.

Not sure though if I'd be able to update tomorrow _(as you can see, I'm pretty punctual when it comes to updating ~~~ well, it's because of your reviews! It gives me such great strength and ideas to keep writing)_ because there would be a wide-ass blackout from where I'm living. But I promise to update as soon as I can. Keep sending love people! See you all soon!


	4. Chapter 4: The Bubble Butt Incident

**Chapter 4: The Bubble Butt Incident**

* * *

When the three of them got inside the Uchiha compound, Sasuke decided to lead them to the east wing because it housed the modern sets of furniture compared to the rest of the compound.

Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but be amazed at the vastness of the Uchiha manor as they passed through several rooms and wide hallways. Sakura was especially awestricken at the beauty of the Uchiha garden ever since the manor was renovated.

"How do you even maintain all these, Teme?" Naruto asked, while Sasuke merely smirked inwardly.

"The Shadow Clone Jutsu is not an exclusive technique for you Naruto, even I could use it." Sasuke stated.

Ever since his friends renovated the Uchiha manor, Sasuke made it to a point to maintain everything in order. He thought that it would be his way of repaying his friends for what they did. He let out an imperceptible smile.

The moment they reached the eastern wing, Sasuke lead them further to a wide staircase and brought them to their respective rooms. After Sasuke deposited Sakura's bag in her own room, they agreed to meet at the main wing once they've settled their things.

* * *

Kakashi was about to leave his apartment when he was met by two Anbus on his way out. One was wearing a dog mask, the other, a bird.

"The Lady Hokage asked for you, Kakashi." the one with the dog mask said. The silver-haired shinobi only eyed them cautiously.

"Hmm, seems like she forgot something to say." Kakashi casually commented.

"If you're good to go, then let's head out." the other Anbu member commanded.

"Then by all means, lead the way." Kakashi said.

The moment Kakashi reached the huge double doors of the Hokage's office, he was ushered inside.

"These two here said you were looking for me, Hokage-sama." The Godaime simply looked at him and waved for the two Anbu members to leave. Both of them disappeared in an instant.

"Kakashi," Tsunade called. "We have to talk about Sakura's condition."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed at the Hokage's words.

* * *

"Where's Kakashi anyway, it's almost dinner time." Naruto complained. After setting his things on the room given to him by Sasuke, he went back to the main wing of the Uchiha compound and saw Sakura and Sasuke playing Shogi.

"Late of course." Sasuke muttered. "And we just ate a while back." The raven-haired ninja additionally pointed out.

"But that was a late lunch! We had that four hours ago, and now it's almost 7 pm. I'm hungry." Naruto slumped himself on the sofa which was near Sasuke and peered over the shogi board.

"Woah, Teme, you're losing. Your ass is being handed to you by a three-year-old." Naruto mocked.

"Shut up, loser." Sasuke said. "And what do you know about this game anyway?"

"I know enough. Iruka-sensei used to teach me this game, but it was too boring." Naruto commented.

"That's because you don't understand." Sakura finally spoke as she awaited Sasuke's next move.

"How do you even know this Sakura? You're like, three!" Naruto asked, the little girl sighed beside him.

"For all those years that we've been teammates and you still don't have a single clue." Sakura stated.

"Huh? clue? About what?" the blonde ninja asked.

"About the fact that I'm a genius." Sakura exclaimed. "You and Sasuke may be good at combat but I'm great at analysis and strategy." the three-year old calmly stated.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, and thought that if people were actually hearing their conversation, a lot would be amused about the tactless attitude of the little girl.

Sasuke shifted and moved a piece in the board.

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Good thing your parents are not around to spank you in the butt, huh, Sakura?" Naruto teased. "For a three-year old, you have such a foul mouth."

"Well, that's because I'm losing, right after I said that I'm great at analysis and strategy.'' The little girl pouted.

"You've got an excuse to just send this board flying to the lawn if you really wanted to, you know? You're three." Naruto said, giving her a great idea.

When suddenly, a piece from Sakura's side moved forward, startling both the blonde-haired ninja and the silent one.

"Check mate," an all too familiar voice said. It was Kakashi.

"Yes!" Sakura cheered, she raised both her hands in the air.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Since when did you get back Kakashi?' Naruto asked his former sensei.

Kakashi stood from behind Sakura and deposited the two huge plastic bags at the nearest table he could see.

"About the time when Sasuke made his move, I was studying Sakura's board from the sidelines."

"We didn't even see you anywhere!" Naruto stated, a shocked expression plastered on his face.

"You were preoccupied with the game, and you had your guards down. I mean, who would get so tensed inside the Uchiha mansion? Right? It's understandable." Kakashi simply stated.

"Are those groceries?" it was Sakura who broke Naruto and Kakashi's conversation.

"You bought groceries?" Sasuke asked, a little surprised at the fact that his former sensei who couldn't pay for his own meals had brought groceries.

"What's inside? What's inside?!" Naruto jumped from the sofa to the table and dug inside the two bags. "Whoa! There are lots of food in here! and…" Sasuke watched as Naruto slowly pulled something rectangular out of the bag. "…diapers?"

"Diapers?!" Sakura asked, her eyes went considerably wide the moment Naruto revealed a huge pack containing dozens of diapers. "Sensei! Why did you buy me diapers?!" Sakura asked, annoyed.

Kakashi started scratching his cheek. A worried expression started to form on his face. "These didn't really come from me, they came from the Hokage." The silver-haired ninja stated calmly.

"Lady Tsunade?! No!" Sakura said, clearly exasperated at the fact that the Godaime bought her diapers.

"Well that explains the groceries. I thought for one second, Kakashi bought these with his own money." Naruto said.

"It's probably the end of the world if that happened." Sasuke added, when the three of them heard soft sniffles. They turned to look at Sakura who was trying her best to contain her whimpers. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were filled with tears which threatened to drop like waterfalls. She was silent crying and it broke the three ninja's hearts. Even Sasuke's stoic heart felt like silent crying as well when he saw Sakura, but it was Kakashi who made the first move.

"Hey, hey." Kakashi lifted Sakura in his arms and whispered to her softly as he gently cradled her from side to side. "Shh, don't cry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." The silver-haired shinobi rubbed Sakura's back, willing her to stop crying. "You know how the Hokage is, right, Sakura?" Kakashi willed Sakura to look at him. The little ninja nodded. "She'll smother me with her big boobies if I refused the diapers." Naruto let out a controlled smirk from the backgrounds, while Sasuke just face-palmed and sighed.

"But wouldn't you like that, sensei?" Sakura asked, still containing her tears.

"Of course not!" Kakashi denied. "Her boobies look heavy; they'll immediately suffocate me if that happens." Sakura softly giggled, having been able to get the picture.

"Yeah it would." She said, now already smiling.

"That's better. Now, let's get to the kitchen and Sasuke will prepare delicious meals for us, right?" their former Sensei turned to look at the silent ninja, and Sasuke couldn't do anything but to agree.

"Fine. Just let Naruto carry the bags." He said as the four of them simultaneously walked over the kitchen.

* * *

"Wow! These look neat!" Naruto exclaimed, appreciating the different sets of dishes in front of him. They have tuna immersed in tomato sauce, broiled saury and miso soup.

"I didn't know you had the ability to appreciate food other than ramen, Naruto." Sasuke said.

After reprimanding Naruto numerous times to back off the kitchen after he seriously failed at chopping the tomatoes, Sasuke was able to come up with a pretty decent dinner for them.

Kakashi then placed the now smiling Sakura at the chair beside Naruto where the blonde-ninja placed several stacks of pillows for Sakura to sit in. He then took the seat beside Sasuke as the latter started distributing their bowls of rice.

The four ninjas ate in silence and was about to finish when Naruto suddenly farted. He grinned.

"Unbelievable." Sasuke muttered. "You're really disgusting, dobe." Sasuke said.

"Well, I can't help it! It's a natural bodily function." Naruto explained, when they heard another fart, now softer. The three ninja's turned to look at where the sound came from and saw a crimson-faced Sakura. Her cheeks were puffed, and the rims of her eyes and eyebrows were flushed, red.

"That doesn't look good." Naruto stated the obvious.

"Sakura?" Sasuke called cautiously, his eyes wary at the girl who was silently seated beside Naruto. The pink haired ninja swiftly turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I need to poop!" she shouted.

The three ninjas immediately scrambled on their feet when Sasuke snatched Sakura and brought her to the nearest bathroom, dropped her inside and closed the door.

The three of them let out their own shaky breaths when Sakura kicked the door open. Her face still in the brightest shade of crimson and stared angrily at the three ninjas.

"I can't reach the toilet!" she cried.

"Find a stool! Go and find a fucking stool!" Sasuke commanded to the other two who scrambled to look for one. Kakashi was able to come back with a wooden stool, merely seconds after Sakura demanded it. Sasuke immediately placed it on the foot of the toilet and closed the door. Together, the three ninjas slumped to the floor as they heard shuffling inside, and eventually, silence.

Several seconds passed when Naruto stood up and started pacing back and forth. He was followed by Kakashi who was ultimately followed by Sasuke. The three of them set fast paced steps in front of the bathroom door when Sakura's voice echoed inside the bathroom.

"Stop pacing back and forth! I can't concentrate!" the little girl yelled, to which the three of them stood frozen on where they were.

"I'm actually really nervous. She might get herself flushed down the toilet." Naruto whispered.

"Shut up! She might hear you, idiot!" Sasuke muttered.

"Who's going to wash her after she's done?" Kakashi asked. The three of them looked at one another, obviously not wanting to take the responsibility.

"Hey! I heard you!" Sakura once again yelled from the bathroom. "I'm not that dumb Naruto! I won't get myself flushed down the toilet, and I can perfectly wash myself, thank you!" Sakura bellowed.

Moments later, they heard the flushing of the toilet and the rustling of water. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi visibly relaxed. Then they heard the stool being dragged inside the bathroom, and the sound of the shower valve being twisted open.

Sasuke checked the clock. Several minutes had already passed and Sakura hasn't still come out of the bathroom.

"What's taking her so long?" Naruto asked.

"She's taking a bath." Kakashi said, he was already visibly engrossed on his Icha Icha Paradise the moment he heard the shower. When suddenly, all sounds stopped from inside the bathroom, and more shuffling took place. Kakashi closed his book and brought it back to its pocket. Then Sakura called.

"You can open the door now!" She said.

Naruto looked at Sasuke who was closer to the door.

"Didn't she get to open it a while back?" Naruto whispered.

"Not really, I wasn't able to close it entirely that's why she was able to kick it." Sasuke said.

"Open it then." Naruto said. Sasuke nodded.

The three ninjas tensed and shifted in their places as Sasuke reached for the door knob and opened the bathroom door. Steam slowly clouded the room when Sasuke opened it, and at the bathroom floor stood a newly bathed Sakura. She was wrapped in white towels which visibly ate her small form.

"Okay Sakura, it's time to go and change." Sasuke said, but his command went unnoticed when Sakura started running past them. She slid herself past Naruto's legs and continued running around the house. The three ninjas were left stunned. Sasuke was the first one to snap back to reality.

"What are you doing, idiot? She just escaped!" he yelled at Naruto and started going after Sakura. Naruto and Kakashi followed.

"She shocked me, Teme!" Naruto yelled back.

"We were all shocked." Kakashi said.

"You can't catch me!" Sakura shouted, octaves of giggles followed her as she left droplets of water wherever she stepped. She went on the direction of the hallways going to the western wing of the Uchiha compound. The three ninjas followed.

Sasuke suddenly smacked Naruto at the back of his head as they pursued the little devil.

"Hey! What was that for, Teme?!" the blonde haired ninja complained.

"You fed her candy didn't you?" Sasuke accused.

"Well…hehehe." Naruto only grinned at Sasuke.

"Oh, he fed her a lot when you weren't looking." Kakashi said, confirming Sasuke's notion.

"I told you not to feed her candy, now look at what you did!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto. "Unbelievable." He muttered. "Let's just catch the little beast." He commanded.

The three of them stood silent as they reached the western wing of the compound which served as storage house for numerous stuff. Each room held valuable Uchiha collection which were assembled and gathered all throughout the years. They listened to their surroundings. It was quiet, but Sasuke noticed that all the sliding doors were opened.

"Sakura concealed her chakra." Kakashi stated.

"What?! A three-year-old can do that?" Naruto asked, amazed.

"Well, among the three of us, Sakura was always the best at chakra control." Sasuke commented.

When suddenly, they heard a low rumble, which sounded like an object rolling on the ground. Naruto squinted his eyes, when at the end of the hallway he saw a semi-giant ball rolling towards them.

"That's…that's kind of big for a bowling ball." Naruto said, turning to Sasuke who was now visibly irritated.

"No." Sasuke whispered. "That's a jade sphere which my parents purchased from a neighboring nation!" he yelled and moved forward to stop the ball from rolling further and kept it in one of the rooms.

"Close every door, you pass through!" Sasuke commanded when suddenly, Kakashi's voice boomed over them. "There she is!"

Naruto and Sasuke saw a glimpse of Sakura's towel who just turned at another hallway.

"You can't escape from me now! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto summoned four identical clones to pursue Sakura. But she just disappeared again.

"Where are you? Where are you?!" Naruto yelled. Sakura poked her head in the hallway, her body hidden in one of the rooms.

"I'm here!" she called, giggling to herself, and continued running down the hallways.

"We have to catch her soon or she'll catch a cold." Kakashi said. He brought a scroll out from his back pocket and did a familiar hand sign. "Ninja Hound Summoning Jutsu! Bull, go after Sakura." He commanded his largest ninken. It barked, and went after Sakura.

All of them abruptly stopped and watched the scene.

"We have to talk about something important later." Kakashi whispered. Naruto and Sasuke nodded as they looked at Sakura who also stopped and faced the incoming Bull.

"We got her now." Naruto said, grinning widely. But the moment Bull reached Sakura, the huge ninken bit the back of her towel which exposed her naked butt and carried her further. Sakura squealed with delight.

Naruto's blood spiked to his head and a shower of blood erupted out of his nose. His shadow clones all poofed in the air as the true chakra owner fainted.

"Bull!" Kakashi called, speechless at what his dog did.

"Ugh. This has to stop." Sasuke exclaimed. He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and perceived where Bull would go next. Even before Bull could reach his destination, Sasuke raced past him to which the huge ninken bumped on his pant leg and poofed in the air. Sasuke crouched down and held Sakura firmly on the shoulders.

"Bed. Now." Sasuke commanded, as he lifted Sakura up, wrapping the towel more securely around her.  
"Someone's being stingy!" Sakura teased poking Sasuke's cheek with her small finger.

"And someone's being really difficult." Sasuke stated. He went past Kakashi who had Naruto on his shoulders.

"I'll send this one to bed." He called back.

"Take your time." Kakashi said.

When Sasuke reached Sakura's room, he placed her on the edge of the bed and dug for a shirt for her to wear. Sakura pointed at a light green shirt that caught her eye and waited for Sasuke while doing her flutter kicks.

"Stay still." Sasuke ordered when he returned and helped Sakura push her head out of the neckline of her shirt. Sasuke then lifted Sakura as he let her stand on the bed, her shirt went way past her toes. "Stay there." He commanded. Sakura only pursed her lips but stood still. Sasuke went to another drawer where Naruto placed the diapers and brought one out.

"I'm not going to wear that!" Sakura yelled at him when she saw the thing in Sasuke's hand. Her brows were furrowed and the little ninja stared angrily at Sasuke.

"You have no choice; this is your punishment." Sasuke stated in a matter of fact voice.

"But that's harsh!" Sakura complained.

"No it's not." Sasuke simply stated. "For every time you misbehave, you will have to wear your diapers."

"You're evil." Sakura muttered under her breath. Sasuke removed the towel from under her shirt and motioned for her to hold onto his shoulders for balance.

"Now, lift your leg." Despite Sakura's protests, she still complied and pushed her foot in one leg hole and the other on the next one.

"Don't you need to put powder on my butt?" Sakura asked sheepishly. Sasuke sighed and dug for the baby powder he packed in Sakura's bag a while back.

He turned Sakura so her back was onto him, lifted her shirt up and pulled at the waist adjustment and puffed powder on her butt.

"There, happy?" Sasuke asked. "Now, sleep." He told Sakura as he started gathering her towels.

"But I'm not sleepy yet, Sasuke." the little ninja complained. Sasuke gave her a stern look which made Sakura prop herself on the bed and covered her body with a blanket.

"That wasn't difficult was it?" Sasuke asked teasingly.

"No." Sakura answered. "What's difficult is getting to sleep." She was already lying down but she had her small arms crossed over her chest. Her own sign of defiance. "I want a story." Sakura demanded.

"Do you really want a story?" Sasuke asked. Sakura's eyes widened with amazement as she bobbed her head up and down, ruffling the back of her hair in the process.

"Fine." Sasuke left Sakura's towels on a nearby chair and went to sit on Sakura's bed. "Now, I want you to listen carefully Sakura, and look into my eyes." He commanded.

"Okay. Will it be a scary story?" Sakura said in her small voice and kept her eyes plastered on Sasuke's face. Sasuke then looked at Sakura's eyes and immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan which instantaneously sent the little girl to sleep.

Sasuke sighed as Sakura's breathing became steady. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and slowly got up. He once again took the towels and hung them on the balcony of her bedroom. He walked out silently, leaving a small space on the door so that light would seep through. Sasuke then went downstairs to meet with his other teammates. Kakashi said they had something important to talk about. Something important about Sakura.

* * *

AN: Behold the writer who has survived the black out! I promised you an update, so here it is. I'm just really glad that my phone's battery survived the black out, that's why I was able to type my way through. So here's chapter 4 you, guys. Still in conflict about my pairings. Hohoho. I hope you liked it! Continue sending your love and reviews people. It makes the writer in me happy. See you next update! :)


	5. Chapter 5: The Semi-Truth

**Chapter 5: The Semi-Truth**

* * *

Sasuke made his way down to his kitchen where Kakashi and Naruto was. He saw Kakashi sitting on the high chair by the counter while Naruto washed the dishes. He started shaking his head towards Naruto who was still nursing his bleeding nose.

"Really, Naruto?" Sasuke muttered. "A nosebleed from a child's butt?" he asked, relatively amused.

"Uhh, correction, Teme…It's Sakura's child butt. That's still something." Naruto clarified.

Sasuke padded his way through one of the cabinets and brought out cups and a bottle of sake. He set them on the table in front of the serious and quiet Kakashi. Without saying anything, Sasuke poured himself a drink and gulped it in one shot. Naruto joined them after returning the last of the plate in its cabinet.

"You really needed that, huh?" Naruto asked. The raven-haired ninja only nodded and took his high chair on the counter. Sasuke turned to Kakashi as Naruto poured them their round of drinks.

"So, what is it that we need to talk about?" he asked. Kakashi looked at Sasuke and Naruto, and sighed. The silver-haired shinobi started relaying to them the information he received from the Hokage earlier that day.

* * *

 _"Kakashi," Tsunade called. "We have to talk about Sakura's condition."_

 _Kakashi's visible eye narrowed at the Hokage's words. He remained silent, anticipating for the worst he could hear._

 _"_ _First of all," the Godaime started, "I gave your original mission to another squad, and as for the retrieval of the scroll, I gave that duty to Shikamaru's team after all of you left for Ichiraku's" She explained._

 _"_ _How long will the retrieval mission last?" Kakashi asked._

 _"_ _I gave them an ultimatum of 5 days to retrieve the scroll." Tsunade responded._

 _"_ _And what if they can't make it back in 5 days?" Kakashi asked again._

 _"_ _Then…" the silver-haired shinobi saw the Hokage clench her fist under her chin. "Then Sakura may disappear." Kakashi remained stoic, not letting one bit of emotion out._

 _"_ _Is there no other way?" he asked, to which the Godaime visibly slumped her shoulders and shook her head._

 _"_ _There is. But as I've said earlier. It was grandpa Senju who transformed me back. At that time, I've reached my final transformation, that's why I can't remember anything." Tsunade explained._

 _"_ _Final transformation?" Kakashi inquired, Tsunade sighed once more._

 _"_ _Considering Sakura's current state, she has a few more transformations left. Approximately, two." Kakashi listened intently to what the Godaime was saying. "However, once she reaches her infant-stage, her clock will start ticking until eventually she'll disappear. She can't get any younger after her last transformation."_

 _"_ _Then what's the 'other' way?" Kakashi asked._

 _"_ _Sakura doesn't disappear." Tsunade said. "But, she remains an infant and she will go through the normal process of growing up."_

* * *

"You mean puberty all over again?!" Naruto asked, taken aback by what he heard. Kakashi nodded.

"That's _if_ she doesn't disappear." Kakashi added.

"How do we know one way from the other?" Sasuke asked.

"Today is the first day of the count down. The Godaime doesn't know when her next transformation would exactly take place, but she knows it's near..." Kakashi said as he started reminiscing the words of the Godaime. "And in two or three days time, Sakura will take her final transformation. The next 24 hours after she reaches her infant-stage is the most crucial. Shikamaru's team should be heading back by that time and the Godaime presumed that they'd be here before the end of the fifth day so she could transform Sakura back." Kakashi explained.

"What if they don't make it?" Naruto inquired.

"If for some unknown reason, they can't make it back. There's a fifty percent chance of Sakura disappearing. As the Godaime said, she can't get any younger after her final transformation." Dread was apparent in his voice. "But If Sakura survives it for another 24 hours without transforming further. That means, her body is changing to take the long process of growing up."

"Then, shouldn't we be the ones retrieving the scroll? I mean, Sasuke could simply teleport us back and forth, right?" Naruto demanded, his voice filled with exasperation. Sasuke only sat silently, his mind lost in the cup-filled sake he was holding.

"That's what I told the Godaime, but she strongly refused the idea. She said it was important for Sakura to be left with people she knew and whom she's familiar with." Kakashi momentarily stopped, as he swirled the sake in his cup then put it down. He spoke again, "Because right at this moment, her memories are slowly starting to disappear…that's why she's acting like her age more and more."

"That's...that's terrible." Naruto whispered. "Would she really forget about us?" Kakashi only shrugged his shoulders, not really sure about the answer.

"S-should we tell her?" Naruto asked, as he dunked his shot of sake. Kakashi shook his head.

The three ninjas remained silent as they let the weight of the information sink in. Sasuke was still wondering how Kakashi drank his sake despite his masked face but that's already beside the point. They've already finished half of the bottle when Sasuke spoke.

"I'm heading to bed."

"Yeah, me too." Naruto added. "Sakura really drained the shit out of me, but I'd rather have something like this every single day than letting her disappear."

All of them nodded as they eventually dispersed to get to their own rooms in the Uchiha manor.

After reaching the privacy of his own room, Sasuke decided to take a cold shower, wanting to dispel the stress of the day. As he leaned himself into the cold stream of water, he can't help but think about Kakashi's words. Sasuke clenched his fist at the very thought of Sakura disappearing, but eventually loosened his grip realizing that he couldn't do anything about it, because he wasn't familiar with the jutsu. He could only hope for the best.

He trailed his way to his bed and laid his head on his pillow. He took a deep calming breath and sighed as he let the sake work its magic, helping him get to sleep.

* * *

It was way past bed time when Shizune walked through the door of the Hokage's office. She let out a frustrated sigh seeing her master drinking directly on a bottle of sake.

"Oh c'mon Shizune, you know I need this sake right now." Tsunade chided.

"Fine. But did you really have to put it that way to Kakashi?" Shizune asked.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade looked at her assistant.

"Didn't you just lie to Kakashi? To his team?" Shizune accused, reminding Tsunade of her conversation with Kakashi earlier that day.

"I didn't lie to Kakashi." Tsunade denied her assistant's accusation. "What I said was true. Sakura might indeed disappear, or if not, she gets to grow up one more time."

"But you didn't tell him everything." Shizune stated.

"They'll figure it out sooner or later." Tsunade looked outside her office window and stared at the crescent moon as she drank her bottle of sake. A small frown was visible on her forehead. _'Should I really have told him instead?'_ Tsunade thought, still contemplating on her actions that day.

* * *

Sasuke stirred in his bed and fluttered his eyes open. His room was pitch black until his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

 _'_ _What's that?'_ he asked himself. He heard a high pitched crying coming from Sakura's room. He looked at the digital clock in his bedside table. It was five minutes past three in the morning. He listened again, thinking that maybe it was a dream, but the crying didn't stop.

Sasuke forced himself to get off his bed and walked his way through the door. When he opened it, an equally sleepy-looking Kakashi, still with his mask on but without his hitai-ate was standing outside his own bedroom door, opposite his room, and when Sasuke looked back, a disheveled Naruto was walking towards them.

"What is it now?" Naruto yawned. The three of them were forced to walk to Sakura's room when her wails got louder.

Sasuke pushed the door and switched the lights on and saw a distressed Sakura on the floor. The bawling little ninja was flat on her chest. Her hair was a mess, her shirt was rolled up revealing her diapered butt, and all her pillows fell off the bed and she was clearly fighting with her blanket which was tangled and wrapped around her. The three ninjas immediately went to panic mode when they realized that little Sakura fell of the bed.

This time, it was Sasuke who made the first move and immediately swept the pink-haired kunoichi to his arms, checking her for any signs of injury. He relaxed a bit when he saw none but Sakura refused to calm down, which made him go into panic mode again. Sasuke turned swiftly to his former sensei, clearly lost on what to do. Fortunately, Kakashi immediately got the message and lifted Sakura off Sasuke's arms, while Naruto started picking up the scattered pillows that fell off.

Sasuke, on the other hand, watched Kakashi as he made the distraught little ninja calm down. The silver-haired shinobi rubbed her back and wiped her tears, rocking Sakura from side to side as he nuzzled the tip of his nose to her cheek. He would continuously whisper calming words to her ears, and that's when Sasuke realized, that Kakashi was softly humming which made Sakura calm down eventually. Her green orbs slowly shutting to a close, until finally she was already submerged in a deep slumber.

"You're really amazing Kakashi." Naruto whispered, so as not to wake their sleeping teammate. "You're like the baby whisperer." He smiled as Kakashi continued to gently cradle Sakura.

Naruto was able to return all the pillows on Sakura's bed, while Sasuke folded her blanket.

Naruto plopped himself at the foot of Sakura's bed, taking a pillow for himself, and thankful for the bed frame which prevented him from falling over the edge.

"I think we should stay with her tonight, Teme." Naruto called to Sasuke. "I mean, this bed is way too big for her and yet she still managed to let herself fall on the floor. That's going to hurt in the morning, I'm sure." He continued. "But right now, I think we deserve some sleep as well, and I'll be perfectly fine right here." Naruto tapped his space at the foot of the bed, settling himself horizontally and went to sleep straight away.

"Naruto's right. We should stay with Sakura from here on out." Kakashi commented. He went to the other side of the bed and laid little Sakura's sleeping form in the middle. He took the space on the kunoichi's left, leaving Sasuke the space on her right. They looked like they formed a human barricade which surrounded Sakura, but Sasuke realized that this may be for the best.

Sasuke eventually followed and laid himself on Sakura's bed. It's quite understandable that they were all fiercely protective of Sakura. It didn't even matter that she's equally as strong as they are now; because the truth is, aside from being the only female of the group, she was really the only one who kept the team together, so the three of them silently vowed to protect her for the rest of their lives. That was the thought Sasuke had on his head before he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Sasuke woke up with the feeling of somebody poking his cheek. When he cracked is one eye open, he saw Sakura smiling down at him. Sasuke registered his surroundings and realized that the sun hasn't come up yet. Naruto was snoring at the foot of the bed while Kakashi had turned sideways, his back on them.

Sasuke enclosed Sakura in a relatively tight embrace. "Sakura, go back to sleep. It's still so early." He whispered, and the poking instantly stopped.

The second time Sasuke opened his eyes, the sun had already gone up. It was 7 in the morning and the sunlight had slipped its rays past the curtains of Sakura's room so he covered his eyes with his right arm to block the brightness. He ran his other hand at the center of the bed when he felt soft cotton sheets and nothing more. He ran his hand one more time, intent on searching for something when he realized that what he was searching for was already gone.

He abruptly sat up and travelled his gaze around his surroundings. Kakashi and Naruto were still fast asleep but there was no sign of Sakura anywhere inside the room. He abruptly stood up and peered inside the bathroom but the little ninja wasn't there. He immediately shook both ninjas awake and announced that Sakura was missing.

"She's probably in the bathroom." Naruto mumbled, his words were still a slur as he forced himself to wake up.

"I checked the bathroom, she's not there." Sasuke, who was now wide awake chided on Naruto.

"Sasuke, did you purposely left the door open last night?" Kakashi asked.

"Uhh, yeah. So that light from the hallway would seep through…shit." He muttered under his breath, realizing what Kakashi was trying to say.

"Oh no. Don't tell me this is going to be another round of the bubble butt incident? It's still so early! I still need my coffee." Naruto complained.

"Let's just head out and find her." Sasuke ordered.

"I'll go and make coffee." Kakashi offered.

They went their separate ways at the foot of the stairs. Kakashi heading to the kitchen, while Naruto and Sasuke searched for Sakura.

"Sakura? Sakura? Where are you?" Naruto called, when something caught Sasuke's eyes. He swiftly moved forward and picked the object up.

"Is that…is that Sakura's diaper?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded, Sasuke didn't reply to something that was so obvious. They found it on the floor of the main compound going to the garden. Was Sakura in the garden? Sasuke hoped that he was right.

As they turned their way towards the vast Uchiha lawn, Sasuke abruptly stopped on his tracks to which Naruto bumped on him.

"Hey! What's with the sudden halt, Teme?" Sasuke pointed at Sakura who was half-submerged in the pond water.

"Be really quiet Naruto." Sasuke whispered. "We can't afford to startle Sakura. There's a part in that pond that goes deeper. One false move and she slips and drowns."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. So they quietly approached the pink-haired ninja who had her back on them. When they got closer, Sasuke saw that Sakura was trying to catch a koi fish swimming around her.

"Sakura," Sasuke gently called her name. She turned her head and beamed when she saw Naruto and Sasuke. As their eyes settled on the sight before them, the two ninjas couldn't help but hold their breaths as they looked at Sakura.

"I'm pwaying with the fishies!" She exclaimed excitedly. Sasuke immediately grabbed her out of the fishpond and stared intensely at her, confirming his thoughts.

"Oy, Teme. D-did Sakura just shrink further?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke, Naruto." Kakashi called. He brought a tray of coffee with him, but almost dropped everything on the floor when his eyes narrowed on the much younger version of Sakura.

* * *

"Okay young lady. It's time to take a bath." Sasuke told Sakura, as they padded their way to the bathroom of the main wing. Naruto brought a cup of coffee with him, Kakashi had his too. Both wanting the relief brought by coffee because of the stress brought by Sakura's fast-paced transformation.

"We should report this to the Grandma." Naruto stated.

"We'll do that after she takes a bath, and after we've had ours." Sasuke responded, setting Sakura down on the closed lid of the toilet.

Kakashi tested the temperature of the water in the tub while Naruto poured contents of Sakura's shower gel in it.

"How should we bathe her?" Naruto asked. Slightly blushing at the thought. "I think it's best if we just put her in there with her clothes on."

"Or we could wrap her with towel, then remove her clothes." Kakashi added. But even before the three could decide what to do with her, the little ninja stripped her clothes and jumped in the water sending splashes of it towards Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Weeeeee!" the butt naked, pink haired shinobi squealed. The three of them blushed lightly.

"And here I thought that having a daughter would be a lot easier than having a son." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Now we know better." Sasuke commented back. The three of them nodded in agreement and sighed as they watched Sakura play with the bubbles in the tub.

* * *

After Sakura's bath, Sasuke started rummaging for his old genin t-shirts which Sakura could use because her clothes at the moment became extra big for her due to her new transformation. He also searched for his toddler shoes which he knew he kept when he did a house cleaning one time, and found the small pair resting in one corner of the east wing.

After they've prepped Sakura up, forcing her to wear her diapers again, and after all of them had taken their turns in taking a shower, the adult shinobis decided to have their breakfast outside so they could report to the Hokage straightaway.

They found themselves in one of Sakura's favorite restaurants and settled on a table outside the cozy infrastructure. One of the servers of the restaurant brought a baby chair for Sakura to sit on after seeing the Uchiha crest at the back of her shirt. When he went back in, Kakashi whispered to his group, most of which were directed to Sakura.

"Sakura, since we're outside, would you like to be Momo-chan again?" Kakashi asked, hoping the little girl still understands. To his surprise, Sakura nodded and answered back.

"Okay sensei! I'll be Momo-chan as long as we're out!"

One female servant went to them and asked for their orders, swiftly taking notes as the three adult shinobis placed their requests.

"And what about you little lady?" the female servant smiled at Sakura.

"You're really pretty." Sakura expressed. The female servant visibly blushed, obviously delighted at what the young ninja said. She then asked what the pink-haired girl wanted to order and Sakura said that she wanted dangos.

The servant excused herself and several minutes later, she came out with their orders. Japanese curry for Naruto, donburi for Sasuke and gyudon for Kakashi.

"And this one, young lady…is on the house." The waitress told her as she placed a plate containing five sticks of dango in front of Sakura.

"Does that mean that ours is on the house too?" Naruto excitedly inquired.

"No, sir. You're going to have to pay for that." The female servant smiled at Naruto.

"You pay!" Sakura pointed at him, imitating what the server said before excusing herself once more. Sasuke inwardly smirked. _'It's finally payback._ He thought.

"You heard the kid, Naruto. You're going to pay for our meals. Isn't that right, Momo-chan?" Kakashi mocked, the little ninja nodded.

"It must be nice to get everything for free." Naruto commented as she watched Sakura nibble the food in front of her. Then he leaned over to where Sakura was seated and started to whisper. Sasuke merely observed them and ate in silence.

"Hey, the next time we're out on a restaurant, point to Kakashi over there so he'd be the one to pay for our meals, okay?" Kakashi simply smiled, amused at his former student's antics.

Sasuke noticed that Sakura had difficulty eating her dangos, so he started removing the dumplings one by one and sliced them in half. Sakura murmured her thanks and continued eating.

After they've eaten their breakfasts, Naruto held Sakura as they took their way to the Hokage's office when Naruto heard somebody calling out to them. When he turned his head, he saw Hinata sitting on a bench in the park. She was with her teammates, Kiba and Shino.

"Remember, dobe. Sakura is Momo-chan right now." Sasuke whispered and the blonde haired ninja nodded as they all approached to where the other team was seated. Hinata and her group were clearly having a snack.

"Hey! Long time no see, Hinata!" Naruto greeted.

"H-hey, Naruto, long time no see. We just came back from a mission." The Hyuuga girl softly stated.

"Hm, who's this little chic right here?" Kiba asked as Akamaru started showing interest on Sakura by sniffing the girl in Naruto's arms. The little ninja hovered her finger to her lips, signaling Akamaru to stay quiet then poked the huge ninken on the nose and giggled.

"Oh, this is Momo-chan. Sakura's distant cousin." Naruto said.

"I didn't know Sakura had a distant cousin, but that explains why they look so much alike. I thought for one moment though that she's your kid Sasuke, because she has your symbol on her back." Kiba retorted.

"Well, that's because her clothes are all in the laundry, that's why!" Naruto exclaimed, to the rescue.

"C-can I carry her, Naruto?" Hinata asked. The blonde ninja nodded and settled Sakura on Hinata's lap. The little ninja immediately grabbed Hinata's boobs which startled all the boys surrounding them.

"You're soft." Sakura exclaimed as she nuzzled her cheek on Hinata's breasts and giggled. The Hyuuga girl only blushed while all of them tried their best not to stare.

"Well, at least somebody knows how to tell the truth." Shino commented.

"Where's Sakura anyway?" Kiba asked.

"She's sick." Sasuke answered abruptly.

"Then we should visit her and bring her some get-well-soon gifts." Hinata remarked softly.

"No!" Naruto's sudden outburst startled Hinata and her group. "I—I mean; her sickness is quite contagious that's why she's not allowed to have visitors." Naruto rapidly added.

"Is she at the hospital?" Hinata asked.

"No. She's at her apartment." Sasuke casually answered.

"Well, that's weird. She's a medical ninja right? Can't she just heal herself?" Kiba asked. This time, it was Kakashi's turn to speak.

"Her illness is consuming large amounts of her chakra. That's why she's stuck to traditional treatments at the moment."

"That's dangerous." Hinata remarked. A worried expression was plastered on her face.

"She's okay now. The Lady Hokage has stabilized her condition." Kakashi added.

"O-oh, okay. That's a relief then." Hinata mumbled, smiling.

"Where are you headed, Hinata? We're actually going to the Hokage's office." Naruto asked.

"W-we're actually headed there too." The Hyuuga blushed at the thought that she and Naruto would be going the same way. "We have to submit our report. W-we should all go together then." She stated, as she stood up, still carrying little Sakura on her arms.

"All right! The more the merrier!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Oh, geez. You're still really hyperactive, huh?" Kiba commented as they walked their way towards the huge tower.

"Hinata?" Sakura whispered. Hinata looked down at the little ninja's big, green eyes.

"Y-yes, Momo-chan?" she asked, blushing at how cute and innocent the little girl looked.

"I wanna ride Akamaru!" the pink-haired ninja shouted, to which the huge ninken barked in agreement. Kiba wondered how the child knew of Akamaru's name, but dismissed the thought eventually, thinking that maybe he called his ninken's name a while back and the little girl heard.

"Huh? B-but isn't that dangerous?" Hinata looked at Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi, silently asking for help on what she should do.

"It's okay Hinata. I'm sure Akamaru could take care of her." Kiba stated. "And if she falls, I'll get to finally face the Uchiha for soiling his crest that Momo-chan is wearing." he grinned. Sasuke only sternly looked at the male from the Inuzuka clan.

"Go on Hinata, I'm sure Momo-chan would be fine." Kakashi encouraged.

"O-okay, then. Be careful Momo-chan." Hinata told Sakura as she gently lowered her on Akamaru's back. The little ninja squealed with delight as she embraced Akamaru's neck.

"Go, horsie, horsie!" the little ninja pointed onwards.

"Hey! Akamaru is not a horse!" Kiba snapped to which Sakura only giggled. Her three teammates were actually containing their own smirks too at what the little ninja said.

"Oh, give it up Kiba, she's just a child." Shino commented, when he noticed that Sakura's attention was following a white butterfly ahead of them. Shino made an imperceptible motion, ordering the butterfly to come closer.

"Momo-chan?" he called the little girl's attention. Sakura looked at Shino while still holding onto Akamaru's back. "Hold out your hand." He said. The little ninja complied and lifted her right hand, palm up.

"Like this?" she asked.

"Yes, perfect." Shino lauded the girl's sharp intake of instructions and finally motioned for the butterfly to settle on her hand.

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the white butterfly, gently flapping its wings on her hand.

"Who has a camera? Who the fuck has a camera! We need to document this moment right now!" Naruto demanded to which he got a reprimanding look from Hinata.

"Watch your language, Naruto." She silently scolded at the blonde ninja.

"I have one." Shino brought out his camera phone and snapped several shots of Sakura.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Naruto stepped back to walk alongside Shino so he could see the pictures. He was also followed by Hinata, Kiba, Sasuke and Kakashi to peer over the phone.

"Hey, those are great shots!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Yeah, Momo-chan looks so cute!" Hinata agreed.

"Hey, Sasuke." Kiba called. "Don't you picture Momo-chan being your child with Sakura?" all the ninjas stood back and looked at the Uchiha, who slightly blushed at the comment.

"Yeah, I bet that's how Sasuke's daughter would look…" Naruto commented, putting an arm over Sasuke's shoulder. "But probably, their daughter would have dark hair, you know…Uchiha genes and all." All of them nodded at the same time, trying to picture a dark-haired Momo-chan.

"Uhh, speaking of which, where's Momo-chan?" the blonde ninja eventually asked. All of them went into panic mode when they couldn't find the little ninja but visibly calmed down when they heard Akamaru's bark from a distance. The huge ninken with the girl on its back trailed forward while they were busy looking at the pictures a while back. They all sighed in relief.

"I swear to god, Inuzuka. If something happens to that girl, I will personally gut you myself." Sasuke threatened under his breath.

"Oh relax, Sasuke. Momo-chan will be fine. She's with Akamaru anyway." Kiba assured him, but deep inside he knew that the Uchiha's threat to his life was real. He sighed when they started walking once again towards the Hokage's Tower.

* * *

AN: *Wipes a sweat bead on the forehead* Phew. I believe that this is the longest chapter I've written so far *inhales, then exhales* and I would like to take this opportunity to announce that we're actually nearing the end of the story! Probably one or two chapters more. I would also like to say that I've come to a conclusion about the pairing in this story. I mean, if it's still isn't obvious. It's Sasuke x Sakura. _**I think.**_

Anyway, I still also would like to thank my readers for [your] continuous support on this story. Let us all be patient for the final updates! See you all again soon! Keep sending your lovely reviews! :)


	6. Chapter 6: Forget Me Not

**Chapter 6: Forget Me Not**

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade who was at the window sill turned her head to see the person who was so delighted to see her and was surprised at the sight of a little Sakura riding Akamaru. Hinata tried to stop her, afraid that her boisterous greeting might disturb the Godaime but Kiba stopped her as he watched his ninken thread its way to the front of her desk who slowly crouched down so that the little kunoichi could wiggle herself off of the big dog.

Kiba, Shino and Hinata immediately followed, bowing their heads as a sign of respect towards the lady Hokage, and behind them were the little ninja's teammates. Tsunade slightly cocked her head to the side as she looked at Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto who formed an 'X' with their arms over their chests.

Tsunade's lips turned into a smirk when she fully understood what they meant as Naruto kept pointing on Sakura who was now at the foot of the window staring up at her. The pink-haired ninja held out her arms beckoning Tsunade to carry her. The Godaime graciously complied at the little girl's silent request.

"Kakashi-sensei said that I'm Momo-chan for today." Sakura whispered to her. The Godaime nodded as she sat on her chair with Sakura in her arms. She motioned for the first three to move forward. Shino was the one who handed the report to which the Godaime swiftly scanned its contents.

"Good, good. I'll call for you three again if I have questions regarding this report." The Godaime thanked the three and gestured for them to leave.

"Bye, bye Akamaru!" Sakura called as the huge dog followed his master out of the Hokage's office, the ninken barked in response.

"Good thing Momo-chan was here huh? The Godaime is surprisingly in a good mood." Kiba commented as they passed by Naruto's team. His two teammates nodded.

When Kakashi saw that the first team was already far away from his vantage point, he closed the double doors and eventually joined Naruto and Sasuke who was already standing in front of the lady Hokage.

Tsunade perched Sakura on the surface of her table and looked at her former student intently.

"How are you, child? Do the big brothers treat you well?" Tsunade asked the little kunoichi who was now busy playing with one of her paperweights. Her sharp senses didn't fail to catch the uneasiness of the trio upon hearing her question, but she still waited for Sakura's reply.

 _'Oh god, please don't tell her about the bubble butt incident! If Grandma finds out that we're letting you run naked, she'll kill us for sure.'_ Naruto whimpered in his thoughts.

"I'm okay Shishou, but my chest and tumtum hurt a bit." Sakura complained. Still playing with the paperweight but with a little pout on her lips. Tsunade gave the three ninjas a scrutinizing look, enough to make them hope that the surface of the ground would crack and swallow them instead.

"Holy shit. She's gonna tell that she fell off her bed! We've got to defend ourselves, people!" Naruto whispered to Sasuke and Kakashi, but Sakura remained silent after that.

"Is that so? Let me see, child." Tsunade lifted Sakura's shirt to inspect the parts where she said it hurt. The Godaime's eye narrowed when she saw a bruise starting on her chest.

"Did she fall off the bed?" Tsunade asked, her voice obviously strained. It must be because of anger. The trio nodded. It won't help them denying much longer. The Godaime sighed, and without even saying anything, her palms started to glow a soft green.

"Oohh! I can do that too!" Sakura exclaimed, as she watched her master heal her and scanned her body for other injuries.

Sakura held out her hand and the four ninjas watched as the little kunoichi focused her chakra on her little palm, but to no avail, no green glowing chakra appeared. The pink-haired ninja slumped her tiny shoulders and looked utterly confused.

"I-I could do it before…what's happening?" Sakura asked as she stared at her small palm which just went against her will. The four adult ninjas couldn't help but to feel sorry for the little girl.

"No worries child." Tsunade assured her, as she fixed her shirt and patted her head. "The power is still in you…it just became dormant because of your child form." Tsunade explained.

"Will I ever become normal again, Shishou?" Sakura asked, tears already forming in her eyes.

"Of course! Your friends and I…" The Godaime motioned to where Sakura's team was standing, gently smiling at her. "…We're trying our best. But for now, I want you to go with Shizune first. She has some nice things to give you, okay?" Tsunade wiped the tears impending to fall on Sakura's cheek and called for Shizune to enter the room.

The Godaime's assistant greeted the other shinobis inside and picked Sakura up, carrying her out to go to another room. When the huge double doors closed behind Shizune, Tsunade dropped her gentle composure and fully faced Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi.

"She's changing too fast." The Godaime seriously pointed out. "She's nearing her final transformation, and nobody can really tell when she'll take her infant form that's why I need you to be with her always, and to report to me immediately the moment she finally changes."

The trio remained silent, letting the weight of the information sink in, when Kakashi spoke.

"Do we have any information on where Shikamaru's team is at the moment?" he asked.

"Yeah! Can't they make it back any faster Grandma?" Naruto demanded.

"I've received information that they've already reached the destination where I last held the scroll. The only remaining thing to do is for them to locate it and bring it back."

"What if they can't locate it in time?" Sasuke finally spoke.

"Then we have to prepare ourselves for what's about to happen to Sakura, and you have to prepare her as well."

"But I thought she's not supposed to know? Where you lying to her when you said she's gonna be okay, huh, Grandma?" Naruto exclaimed.

The Godaime did not respond to what Naruto said. Instead, she relayed to them that at the moment, Shizune is giving her things that she would greatly need as she takes her final form, and some mandatory shots that a child needs.

"No feeding her food that's too heavy or difficult to digest. Her internal organs have greatly altered already that's why she's complaining of stomach ache a while back. Feed her milk and other soft foods, and please have great patience." Tsunade ordered the trio. "Sakura's really confused at the moment though she's great at hiding it. It's always in her nature not to make her friends worry so she keeps her frustrations to herself." The three adult ninjas nodded. "Your teammate's strong and intelligent," Tsunade commented. "She won't disappear." The Godaime saw Kakashi's visible eye tenderly smile, but she turned her gaze to the Uchiha boy who spoke.

"But we don't know that for sure. Even _you're_ not sure about it." Sasuke muttered, clearly worried about Sakura's current state.

"I know." Tsunade stated firmly. "I know because she's my student."

* * *

It was already past four in the afternoon when the three adult shinobis went home to the Uchiha manor, with Sasuke carrying a sleeping Sakura.

"Ugh, I had no idea that when Grandma said she had _some_ nice things to give to Sakura… it would turn out to be this much!" Naruto complained as he looked at the number of huge bags the three of them were holding. The contents of the bags ranged from baby clothes, to more diapers, feeding bottles and baby food.

"It makes you think that she really did plan for all of these." Kakashi absentmindedly commented.

After classifying every baby food in the kitchen, the three of them went upstairs to sort the baby clothes which Tsunade gave. Sasuke settled Sakura down on the mattress and surrounded her with giant pillows when Naruto plopped himself at the foot of the bed.

"Be still, you, moron! You might wake her up!" Sasuke reprimanded the blonde ninja, his voice low.

"But I'm really tired, Teme. Why don't you go downstairs and start preparing for our dinner already." Naruto ordered the Uchiha who instantaneously narrowed his eyes because of his words.

"What did you say?" Sasuke taunted Naruto to repeat himself. "Who the fuck do you think you are to order me around, huh, dobe?" Sasuke rebuked.

"Now, now, Sasuke, Naruto. I think it's best that we all go downstairs and prepare dinner, okay?" Kakashi immediately butted in to stop whatever impending battle was about to take place.

"And watch your words, Teme. We've got a child with us." Naruto mocked.

"She's sleeping, you, moron." Sasuke spat back, but eventually turned to Kakashi and asked. "Who's gonna stay with Sakura?"

"Naruto could leave a shadow clone here. We can't place her on the counter as she might crawl over the edge again once she wakes up." Kakashi explained.

"Hn." Sasuke wasn't quite convinced but he eventually agreed. "You better do a good job looking after Sakura, you, dobe, or I'll teleport your dead body to the depths of nowhere." Sasuke threatened.

"I'm not really afraid of any threats right now, Teme, considering that Grandma had been breathing down the back of my neck almost the whole day today. I'm really kind of immune to it already." Naruto cockily said as he summoned a shadow clone to look after Sakura while the three of them prepare dinner.

* * *

"Hey, Kakashi. Soup's okay for Sakura right?" Sasuke said as he eyed the contents of his cupboard, his former sensei crinkled his visible eye and nodded.

"Can you make corn soup, Teme?" Naruto asked.

"It's Sakura who's eating the soup, dweeb. Not you." Sasuke answered as he prepared the pot for the soup.

"But can't you make enough for us?" Naruto asked as he started placing his own pot full of water on the stove to start sterilizing the baby bottles.

"Hn. Fine." Sasuke said.

"How's Sakura, Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he busied himself on chopping the chicken meat in front of him. They decided on having chicken katsu for dinner.

"She's fine, still sleeping." Naruto started dropping the baby bottles one by one on the pot.

"You're not poking her cheeks, are you?" Sasuke asked, but Naruto dropped the last baby bottle he was holding. He nervously grinned at Sasuke who in turn smacked him at the back of his head.

"You're going to wake her up, you, idiot!" Sasuke scolded.

"No…no! She's fine! She doesn't feel a thing! She's not going to wake u—" Then Sakura started wailing upstairs. Sasuke sighed and turned off the stove.

"You, stupid moron." He whispered. Kakashi just shook his head as he trailed after Sasuke who went upstairs to check on the crying baby.

"Sakura's fine! My shadow clone's doing what I saw Kakashi was doing to make her calm down." Naruto tried to explain as he followed the other two.

"Then why isn't she _calming down?_ Her cries are just getting louder." Sasuke chided.

When they entered the room, they saw a confused and distraught shadow clone with a squirming Sakura on his arms.

"Set her down the bed, Naruto." Kakashi commanded as they looked at the girl who wouldn't stop crying. Naruto's shadow clone eventually disappeared as they walked towards Sakura's bed.

When they got closer, her wailing turned to sobs but when she opened her eyes to look at the three of them, the little shinobi let out another piercing wail with a look of unfamiliarity in her big green eyes.

"Woah. Looks like she doesn't even know us." Naruto whispered. "Kakashi! Do your baby whisperer thingy." The blonde ninja said, but even before Naruto could finish his sentence, their former sensei already sat beside Sakura and steadied the bawling girl on his lap.

"Sakura," he called to her with his calming voice. Sasuke noticed that Kakashi held Sakura on both her sides and was no longer rubbing her back like he used to do. Sasuke assumed that his former teacher was willing Sakura to look at him. Fortunately, the silver-haired shinobi caught her attention. Her wails turning into soft sniffles. Kakashi then turned Sakura to face them and started pointing to each of them.

"Sakura, do you know these guys?" Kakashi tenderly asked. The little ninja only turned her head back towards their former sensei and hid her face on his vest as she continued crying.

Naruto, who was so alarmed at the fact that his teammate had already forgotten about him, jumped on her side which made her even more uncomfortable.

"Sakura, it's me! Naruto! Don't you remember? You used to always bonk me in the head with your fists!" Naruto explained, trying his best to make the little kunoichi remember.

Sasuke, on the other hand, pulled the blonde ninja off the bed seeing as Sakura refused to face Naruto.

"I can't believe it! She was still alright this morning!" Naruto said, exasperated. "And it's unfair that she only knows you now, Kakashi!" the blonde ninja further complained. But Kakashi spoke.

"I think Sakura forgot me as well." The silver-haired shinobi expressed, as he started rubbing Sakura's back while looking down at the little shinobi on his lap. "She's actually trembling in my hands right now. She's really just confused and scared and she'd probably have latched onto anybody right this moment. Except you Naruto, because you just had to startle her." Kakashi stated as Naruto slumped himself on the bed right at Kakashi's side.

Sasuke remained stoically silent about all that's happening as he was already lost in his own thoughts.

 _'_ _Would it be different if Sakura hadn't fallen asleep? Should we have prevented her from sleeping? No. It's inevitable. This was bound to happen. Only that, it happened a little sooner than we expected.'_ Sasuke thought, as he stared at Sakura's quivering body.

 _'_ _Has she really forgotten about us?'_ This was the last thing he had in mind as they all looked at the pink-haired ninja who tightly grabbed Kakashi's vest.

* * *

AN: Oh no! Our little ninja's forgotten about them already? What would the the team do about this? Here's Chapter 6 guys! Probably a chapter or two to go before this story ends. Thanks for all the love! Keep sending reviews! See you next update!


	7. Chapter 7: It's The Final Countdown

**Chapter 7: It's The Final Countdown**

* * *

Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke watched as little Sakura ate her soup silently on the kitchen table. It was relatively early for dinner but they decided to eat instead. They also had to remind themselves that she just transformed herself into her younger version earlier this morning, and she's probably one or two years old at the moment. And by the run of things, Sakura's definitely changing way too fast and was getting younger by the minute, but when Naruto couldn't stand the deafening silence, it was him who broke the silence.

"Uhh—Sakura?" the pink-haired shinobi hesitantly lifted her lashes as he watched Naruto and the two others who took the seat opposite her. The blonde ninja kept on alternately pointing at the two others beside him.

"Don't you remember this one?" he pointed at Sasuke. "He's the hard headed, petulant bastard whom we kept getting back, and…" he pointed next to Kakashi, "…our super ecchi teacher who's always late and loves reading porn in public? Don't you remember?! Don't y— ow!" Both ninjas beside him reached to smack Naruto on the back of his head.

"So much for an introduction huh, Naruto?" Kakashi said, a vein ticking on his forehead.

"And who told me to watch my words again? Stupid dweeb." Sasuke muttered.

But when they all turned to look at Sakura, her attention was already elsewhere. Naruto slumped his head on the table and sighed.

"I don't even think she heard me the first time."

Sasuke followed where Sakura was looking and saw that she was staring at the can of milk they left at the kitchen counter. He tried getting her attention with it.

"Sakura? Would you like some milk?" Sasuke asked the little ninja who swiftly turned her head towards him and nodded. He faintly smirked and smacked Naruto once more.

"Hey! What was that for, Teme?" He asked, clearly annoyed. Kakashi, who was on the side, only sighed at the scene in front of him and started cleaning up the table.

"Bring Sakura to the living room, and watch television." Naruto's ears perked up.

"Oh, yeah! Would you like to watch television with me, Sakura?" without waiting for a reply, Naruto picked the little ninja up from her chair and brought her to the living room of the east wing. So far, so good, Sakura had not shown any protest. She just let herself be carried away by Naruto. When they were finally out of sight, Kakashi spoke.

"I think it would be nice if we went to an onsen, tonight."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, quietly thinking about his former sensei's out of the blue suggestion. He looked at the milk bottle he was holding at the moment, letting it cool down a little bit.

 _'_ _Hn. An onsen would be nice, considering all the stress we've been through.'_ He thought.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke called his former sensei's attention as the silver-haired shinobi faced him with a crinkle in his visible eye.

* * *

"Okay kids, we are going to an onsen." Kakashi announced as he made his way to the living room.

Naruto who was multi-tasking in watching the television and playing _'grab the finger'_ with Sakura, shot up with excitement upon hearing the word onsen, and started chanting in a sing-song manner.

"Yay! We're going to an onsen; we're going to an onsen!" but eventually stopped when he realized that the nearest public onsen was actually quite far from the Uchiha manor.

It was one thing to use chakra to travel and another thing to enjoy walking under the moon light and they also have to consider that they have Sakura and her unpredictable mood swings. So Naruto stilled himself. "Wait…but the distance…and…and we have Sakura…"

Naruto trailed his eyes towards Sasuke as he approached Sakura who was lying on the sofa, and gave her a baby bottle, half-filled with milk. The little girl grabbed it from Sasuke's hand and immediately placed the rubber nipple in her mouth.

"Thank you, Sasuke." she whispered.

The three of them stilled at what they heard from the little girl who was busy drinking her milk while watching television.

"D-did I hear that right?!" Naruto swiftly went back to Sakura's side. "S-Sakura, do you remember who we are now?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Naruto?" she asked with a quizzical look on her face, still sucking through the bottle which muffled her baby voice, but her eyes were devoid of the confusion and unfamiliarity she had a while back.

"Who am I?" Naruto tested again.

"You're Naruto." She answered.

"Who's he?" Naruto pointed at Kakashi who was standing at the foot of the sofa.

"Kakashi-sensei." The silver-haired shinobi smiled, upon hearing his name.

"Okay, last one." Naruto added, but even before he could ask the final question.

"He's Sasuke." Sakura smiled.

The three of them felt relieved when the little ninja named them correctly.

"I guess she just got a little confused when she woke up." Kakashi commented.

"That's probably because Naruto startled her with his ugly face." Sasuke commented.

"Hey! I heard that, Teme!"

But all of them laughed all the same.

* * *

"Whoa, Teme! You really do have your private, open-air onsen, and you never even thought of inviting us even once?!" Naruto complained as they made their way to the private onsen the Uchiha manor has.

It took them a while to prepare the place. Even though Sasuke maintained the onsen to a pristine condition, nobody really used it, except now.

It was also kind of awkward for them to bring Sakura along as the three of them were wrapped with towels only on the lower half of their bodies, except for Kakashi, of course, who still had his mask with him, but eventually they realized that they had no choice. Furthermore, while they were able to manage to wrap the whole of Sakura in a towel, the towel had the tendency to slip off, so Kakashi secured the cloth with clothes' pin on Sakura's back.

"I guess we better get used to this huh?" Naruto asked, as Kakashi finished semi-swaddling Sakura with a towel. Kakashi and Sasuke nodded.

There was no more room for blushing and being uncomfortable every time they change her clothes or diaper. This was probably how they are going to be if ever Shikamaru's team fail to come back. But they had to hope for the best and just enjoy what moment they have with the Sakura who still vaguely remembered them right now.

The three of them gingerly went into the hot spring, with Sakura on Kakashi's arms. Naruto brought a relatively wide, wooden bucket with him so they could place Sakura in it as they relaxed. They started filling the wooden bucket with water and placed Sakura inside. The bucket kept floating.

"Will you be okay, there?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes." Sakura answered, smiling up to him.

Naruto even gave the little ninja a wooden bath brush to serve as her paddle. The three of them watched as Sakura paddled her way around the family-sized hot spring.

"I'm feeling kind of guilty for relaxing like this, but I have to admit that I kinda need it." Naruto said.

"We all do." Sasuke commented back.

"Well, we can't do anything at the moment but to wait for Shikamaru's team to get back." Kakashi said.

"Sensei?" Sakura suddenly asked. They all turned to watch her paddle back towards Kakashi. When her bucket was close enough, the silver-haired shinobi pulled her closer.

"What is it Sakura?" Kakashi asked back.

"Why are you wearing a mask? It's gonna get wet." The little ninja asked, which alerted Naruto and Sasuke, perking their ears up, thinking that maybe…finally…he'd reveal what's behind his mask, the pink-haired shinobi only had to ask the right question. Both of them gulped in anticipation.

On the other hand, Kakashi's visible eye crinkled into a smile, remembering that they've been in a similar situation before. _'I guess she couldn't remember that far back, huh?'_ He thought.

"Well, you see, it's my fashion statement!" Kakashi chirped happily.

"Oh please, we all know that, that's not the reason why you're wearing a mask." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Naruto." Sasuke called. "Sakura, doesn't need to know the truth about it now."

Kakashi looked at his former students, then back at Sakura who waited patiently for another response. Of course, the child that she is now couldn't possibly understand what really took place in his life, and like what Sasuke said, she didn't need to know. So he settled on the usual thing he always did when people got curious about his mask. He lifted Sakura off the bucket.

"Would you wanna see what's behind this mask?" Kakashi asked the little kunoichi on his hands. Naruto and Sasuke stealthily moved closer to his side to have a better access on the view.

"It's a mouth of course!" Sakura exclaimed, like the bright girl that she is. Kakashi smiled, while Naruto and Sasuke remained skeptical.

 _'Hn. We still don't know if he has big lips.'_ Sasuke thought.

 _'Or buck teeth!'_ Naruto thought the same as the two of them stared at each other, their thoughts communicating. Sakura spoke once more.

"But your mask is really going to get wet Sensei." She added.

"Would you want to pull down my mask?" He asked, the pink-haired ninja nodded and Naruto and Sasuke were much closer than before.

 _'Or he probably has thin lips!'_ Naruto's and Sasuke's heads had already bonked together, their thoughts resonating that of the other.

It was clear that the two ninjas were already at their wits' end. They just had to see it, and Kakashi knew this perfectly, so he just had to get them one more time...just for the fun of it. The silver-haired ninja chuckled deep inside.

Sakura reached out her small hands to clasp the corners of Kakashi's mask. Kakashi pulled her closer to his face so she could better reach it, and so he could better see her reaction after finding out that what's behind his mask was another mask. But Kakashi had not anticipated what the little ninja would do, nobody did. Because for the several seconds that Sakura's face hovered over his, the little ninja kissed the tip of his covered nose which made him blush and blink in rapid succession.

"Hey! That's not fair! I want a kiss too!" Naruto rowdily exclaimed as Sasuke tried his best to pull his best friend back down to the water. The simple kiss made Sasuke blush too, and maybe he was a little bit jealous that he wasn't the one who had received the kiss first, but a child is child after all, and maybe that's how the child Sakura really is. Sweet and charming and…

"Sensei, I feel like pooping." Sakura suddenly bursted the words out, which of course made the three adult ninjas scramble out of the hot spring and onto the nearest bath room. But one thing was for sure, all of them were smiling, and all of them were happy.

* * *

After changing into fresh new clothes, Kakashi was able to pat Sakura to sleep. Once again, they all made their way towards Sakura's room and made a human barricade around her, as she slept soundly.

Nobody wants to admit it but no one really wants to go to sleep. Deep down the recesses of their thoughts, the three felt scared, because maybe, just maybe, in the blink of their eyes, Sakura might ultimately disappear.

Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi all faced Sakura's sleeping form. Kakashi brushed her pink bubblegum hair away from her cheeks, Naruto gently tucked the blanket tighter around her, while Sasuke held her hand, smiling softly as Sakura's tiny hand reflexively tightened her grasp around his index finger, even when she was so fast asleep.

"I can't believe it. She has us all wrapped around her fingers." Naruto whispered.

"She always has, Naruto. She's the saner part of this team after all." Kakashi commented.

"That's why she can't disappear." Sasuke said.

"She won't disappear. Even if it means raising her on our own." Naruto said firmly. "Kakashi will be Hokage soon, and I'll be a jōnin. Of course I want to be Hokage too, but it's still kinda early, then I'll wait for Sakura at the academy! She'll probably end up in my team." Naruto stated, his resolve could strongly be felt in his words, to which Kakashi couldn't help but smile because of his statement.

"How 'bout you, Teme?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"I'll probably do the same." Sasuke answered quietly. "I'm done with my travel of redemption, so I'll stay…and look after her."

"And all of us will protect her." Naruto stated once more.

"Because she's Sakura." Sasuke added.

"Because she's _our_ Sakura." Kakashi ended.

The three of them nodded. An unspoken pact had been built amongst them. Their words being carried by the breeze of the night as all of them settled on Sakura's bed, a silent, calming feeling enveloping them as they started to drift off to sleep. Nobody really wanted to, but their unspoken promise made them feel at ease.

As the Hokage said, nobody really knew when Sakura's final transformation will take place, but as the moon above the sky disappeared, and the light of the dawn emerged, Sakura took her final form. Changing silently. Slowly, turning her into a much, much younger version of herself, and finally bringing her back to infancy.

The three adult shinobis remained asleep, unaware of what just transpired, but Sakura already changed and her clock already started ticking.

* * *

AN: And that's the end of Chapter 7! So what do you think, huh?

Oooh, I can feel the ending coming. And the conflict between pairings has once again resurfaced, oh my gods. One more chapter to go guys, and this is done! Keep sending reviews and don't forget to click the 'favorite' button! Just kidding, it's up to you to click. Just click responsibly though. That's what's important. :)

See you on the final update! Bye!


	8. Chapter 8: His and Her Circumstances

**Chapter 7: His and Her Circumstances**

* * *

It was Sasuke who had woken up first. His eyes trailing on the small hand that held his finger. A ghost of a smile settled on his lips, but the moment his gaze set on Sakura's peaceful sleeping face, he could feel his blood being drained from his body.

"Kakashi, Naruto, wake up!"

Sasuke ordered the two shinobis who immediately sat up, confused by the emergency resonating on his voice but instantly realized what it was just by looking at the little bundle sleeping before them.

Sakura's pink hair was now closer to her scalp, there was a permanent tinge of rose-like glow on her soft porcelain cheeks, her lips parted slightly and behind it were soft pink gums and her body was so much smaller than before.

"We should report this immediately to the Hokage." Kakashi said. "Sasuke, Naruto, stay here." their former sensei ordered but Naruto protested and insisted that he leave with Kakashi.

Sasuke couldn't blame Naruto. He couldn't blame him for feeling so afraid and helpless at the moment because, he too, felt the same.

What they had now wasn't the Sakura whom they could still converse and laugh, be furious and surprise with; what they had before them was a ticking time bomb, threatening to disappear, and the three of them cursed themselves for not knowing when the clock started ticking.

The two shinobis left, leaving Sasuke with the sleeping Sakura. He stood up and dashed towards the bathroom feeling all queasy and out of strength. He had faced so many battles in the past which almost took his life, but never was there a time that he felt so utterly helpless and weak and dumb, because right at this moment, he clearly had no idea what to do.

He immediately splashed cold water on his face, and looked at the mirror.

 _'_ _Get a grip, Sasuke. She needs you.'_ He told himself. _'Now, I want you to gather yourself and get back out there before she wakes up.'_ Sasuke gulped.

Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom with unsteady footsteps and saw movement on the bed.

 _'_ _Shit. She's awake!'_ Sasuke internally panicked.

He wasn't prepared for this. He was used to being ruthless and rough. No one had trained him how he's supposed to be around an infant. He cautiously approached the bed when he saw that the baby in it was wide awake. Her big eyes were a clear viridian, and she was looking straight at him.

"Sakura." Sasuke whispered as he stared at her little form.

Sakura let out a sound incoherent to Sasuke and it puzzled him, almost choked him because he couldn't understand. But he noticed Sakura's movements. She reached her tiny hands up onto him and smiled.

 _'_ _Does she want me to carry her?'_ He thought. _'No. I can't! What if…what if I drop her and break her neck?!'_

Sasuke stared at his rough, calloused hands. His hands were meant for killing and not for those things which are delicate and fragile. He returned his gaze to Sakura who was now slightly turned sideways, her focus already on the edge of one of the giant pillows she grabbed and placed in her mouth. When suddenly, Sasuke thought of something, an object which he saw a while back. He just had to have Sakura's attention preoccupied until Kakashi and Naruto comes back.

He moved gently to the nearest drawer, opened it and brought out the object in his mind.

* * *

Sakura was already wide awake when Tsunade's shadow clone materialized in the Uchiha manor, together with Naruto and her assistant Shizune. She went up the stairs following Naruto who led her to Sakura's room.

"Where is she?" She asked. Her voice booming inside the spacious guest room.

Tsunade saw Sakura lying at the center of the bed surrounded with giant pillows while she held a small rattle on her hand, it was the rattle she included on the things that were to be given to the child Sakura. The child's green eyes focused on the noisy object.

The next person she saw was Sasuke who was leaning at the window sill. His arms crossed over his chest and was so still as a lamp post, a look of quiet rage and confusion was spread across his face. Probably because of impatience for taking them so long to arrive.

"Where's Shikamaru?" he asked. His voice was already devoid of all respect to be bestowed on a Hokage but she knew better than to test his rage.

"Oy, Teme!" Naruto called his attention but Tsunade answered.

"They're on their way back."

"Where? I'll teleport to them now and bring them back!" Sasuke shouted his words which startled the little shinobi. She started crying.

The moment Sasuke heard Sakura's cries, his rage crept back from within him and took a step towards the crying bundle, but Tsunade beat him to it.

Tsunade hovered her palm on the whole of Sakura's body which made the infant instantaneously relax, but she kept thinking of the boy's offer.

The Godaime had always known of the Uchiha's ability of teleportation. But she didn't risk it. His susanoo catches too much attention, and in a time of peace, she didn't want her village to catch 'unwanted attention.' So Tsunade did her best to keep Sasuke's power in check. She looked at Sasuke.

"Have you fed her already?" the dark haired Shinobi shook his head.

"I was afraid to leave her. I was even afraid to leave my own shadow clone with her." The raven-haired ninja confessed. Tsunade imperceptibly smirked.

"Go ahead, prepare a meal for her. Shizune and Naruto will stay here with Sakura." The Godaime stated.

Sasuke came back with a warm milk bottle on his hands and handed it over to Naruto who sat at the edge of the bed while Shizune checked the baby's diaper.

"S-she's so tiny. Even I'm afraid to hold her." Naruto whispered as he regarded Sakura's form. Sasuke nodded. He fully understood what Naruto felt as he had the same sentiment. That's why he left Sakura lying at the middle of the bed and just merely guarded her by the window sill.

Tsunade, who was still in the room, bent over Sakura and gently carried her. She turned to the boys.

"The important thing to remember when carrying a baby is to support its head." The Godaime said, as Naruto and Sasuke stared at how Tsunade expertly carried Sakura, placing the latter's head into the crook of her arms. Tsunade then transferred the baby to Naruto's arms who was obviously trembling, the moment Sakura's small form settled on his.

"Oh no. I feel like dropping her!" There was a moment of panic in Naruto's voice which made Sasuke panic all the same. But he immediately relaxed and let out a breath. "No. I'm okay." He smiled.

"How old do you think she is?" Sasuke asked, directing the question to Tsunade.

"She's approximately between 8 to 11 months old. She's okay by the way. Her organs are working perfectly. That's the reason why I rushed here. I had to scan her infant body for any malformation."

The Lady Hokage gently patted Sakura's head who was still at Naruto's arm, drinking milk from her baby bottle. Then she faced Sasuke. "I'm afraid I'll have to go. I'll leave Shizune to you as I'll be needing Naruto back." She said.

"What should I do?" Sasuke asked.

"Stay with Sakura." The Godaime simply stated. Sasuke nodded, fully obliging to what the Godaime wanted even when he knew he could also assist with the 'mission.'

"Naruto, let's head back." Tsunade ordered. The blonde ninja nodded and stepped towards Sasuke.

A look of alarm instantly masked his face as Sasuke knew what Naruto wanted to do. The ninja before him merely smiled.

"Relax, Teme. Sakura's a good girl." Naruto said.

As Naruto gently transferred Sakura into Sasuke's amazingly statue-like arms, he smiled down to the small bundle on his best friend's arms and patted her head.

"Listen Sakura. I'll be leaving you with Sasuke okay? Be a good girl. You don't want Sasuke getting angry, or else he'll turn into his ugly Susanoo." He grinned, while Sakura's eyes twinkled and let out another incoherent sound as a response to what Naruto said.

"That's a good girl!" Naruto praised, before he completely poofed himself into the air, together with the Hokage.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered.

* * *

Sasuke and Shizune took turns in looking after Sakura. The latter bathing her and changing her diapers while the former prepared lunch for them.

Sasuke also lead Shizune to one of the guest rooms in the Uchiha manor where she could stay for the time being. Shizune also helped Sasuke in making a makeshift cradle for Sakura with the use of a soft and airy blanket so they could temporarily leave her there with a shadow clone and transport futons in the main wing.

"Why are we transporting these futons again?" Shizune asked Sasuke.

"It's better if we sleep on the ground to prevent Sakura from falling off the edge just in case we're still asleep." He answered.

Shizune smiled at what the raven-haired ninja was trying to convey. It was a safety measure for Sakura after all. She would still have the comfort of the guest room but she guessed that the futons were for Sasuke and the other two shinobis. Shizune perfectly knew that the moment Naruto and Kakashi comes back, they'd prefer to sleep beside the baby rather than going to their own rooms.

 _'_ _Boys and their protective instincts.'_ She thought, smiling to herself.

They already had their lunch and was lounging at the main wing, when Shizune volunteered to do the dishes so Sasuke was left with Sakura. He placed her on the futon with him and watched her crawl all over the place. Surprisingly, Sakura, in her infant form, was not that difficult to deal with.

Shizune had fed Sakura the rice porridge Sasuke prepared for her, which the baby gladly took. Sasuke was beyond grateful because Sakura had not yet cried one drop ever since she transformed, and was all active and giggly.

It may be far from the truth but Sasuke couldn't help but think that maybe…just maybe…Sakura understood what was happening. But the sight before him still made him sigh.

 _'_ _What's taking them so long?'_ Sasuke impatiently asked himself. The two other shinobis were far better in taking care of a baby than him. So it really still puzzled him why he was the one left to look after her.

After crawling almost every nook and crevice of the main living room, Sakura was now closer. She had her back to him.

Sasuke noticed the small rubber ball near his feet and flicked it towards Sakura. The rubber ball bumped her back side which made the baby turn towards it and stare at it. Then Sakura grabbed the rubber ball with her small stubby fingers, looked at Sasuke curiously and pushed the ball back which rolled towards Sasuke. The raven-haired shinobi smiled, and flicked the ball one more time towards her.

They were in that situation, lost in a game of rubber ball, when Shizune found them. Sasuke turned to look at her, the ball still in his hands as Shizune just leaned over the shoji door.

"You're really good at this, you know." She told Sasuke. The silent shinobi only raised an eyebrow towards her, not minding the little bundle of pink crawling her way towards him. Shizune continued speaking.

"I know that you're not used to this but I can see that you're getting the hang of it. Sakura likes you." She smiled to him, which made Sasuke blush as he gazed at where Shizune was looking at. Sakura had already latched to his arm which held the ball, trying to wrench it from his grasps. He released the ball by flicking it a little further.

"And you're probably going to be a great father." She added.

 _'_ _Father, huh? That's still beyond the scope of my imagination.'_ He thought. He heard Shizune speak again.

"I have to leave for a while." She said which made Sasuke tense a bit because of the thought of being entirely alone with the infant Sakura.

"I need to get some other things in the Godaime's office and probably to check if Lady Tsunade hasn't drowned herself in sake yet." Shizune noticed Sasuke's sudden display of quiet anxiety.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon, and I'll probably have Naruto with me." She assured him. Sasuke remained silent for a bit before he nodded.

"I suppose you could lead yourself out." He said softly to which Shizune nodded.

"No need to get up, I can find my way out." She said.

Sasuke felt a tinge of panic boiling inside him but he tried his best to subdue it. It would honestly bring him so much relief if his other teammates appeared soon. He really needed help with this one. He steadied himself in his sitting position as he watched Shizune led her way towards the main entrance.

Now, he was left alone with the baby.

* * *

Sasuke laid in his futon, propping himself on one hand so he was resting his cheek at the back of his palm while the rest of his body stretched languidly in the soft mattress.

The cool afternoon breeze blew inside the main living room which ruffled Sakura's pink hair and it was obvious to him that the infant was oblivious to her surroundings. When Sakura fell over backwards, his heart almost leapt out of his throat but when she started giggling for some unknown reason, he relaxed.

Sasuke watched Sakura as she tried her best to stir herself into a sitting position. He smiled when she was able to do so.

"Sakura." He called to her. He felt kind of funny for speaking to an infant fully knowing that she won't be able to understand, but maybe that was for the best.

He watched as the ball she was playing with rolled closer to him. He reached for it with his other hand, hoping that Sakura would come closer. She did.

"Hey." He whispered, but Sakura kept her focus on the rubber ball.

Sasuke slowly raised his free hand to gently pat Sakura on the head. She appeared somewhat surprised by the gesture and travelled her eyes up, trying to see his palm. She raised her tiny arms, trying her best to reach up to it, but Sasuke kept his hand on her head, gently ruffling her pink hair.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be okay." He whispered to her.

"It's going to be okay, Sakura." Sasuke directed the words to her, but it served more as a reminder for him. A reminder that kept him sane, something that he had to hold on to.

Sakura gave up trying to reach his hand and refocused her attention to the rubber ball, not minding Sasuke's unwavering gaze on her.

Sasuke watched as Sakura grabbed the ball and place it in her mouth. It amused him that most of the thing she touches went directly to her mouth.

 _'Babies'_ He thought. But he couldn't help but pat her on the head until his rough calloused hand settled on her soft porcelain cheek. Sasuke rubbed as gently as he could manage, but it was clear that Sakura's attention was elsewhere.

"Yes, it's better this way. It's better that you don't understand." Sasuke once again whispered. He rubbed tiny circles on Sakura's cheek. He continued speaking.

"But I want you to know that it's all going to be okay." He started.

"You're going to be okay." He said, a firmer tone in his voice.

"It may take you twenty-one years but you're gonna grow up. And everything will be back to normal." He gulped, trying to placate the lump forming on his throat because of the realization he had with his own words. But he continued speaking.

"And we'll be on your side…" Sasuke said, focusing his gaze on Sakura's face. He focused on her thick lashes which hovered over her mint green eyes, then on her cheeks which were naturally flushed because of her delicate skin. He also noticed how her tiny button nose slightly moves when she travels her gaze, and finally, he noticed how she smiled at him, noticed how pure her smile was.

"I'll be on your side, Sakura. That's my promise. And maybe this time, I'd be able to right all the mistakes I did to you. And I hope you'd forgive me by then, and…and love me all the same… just like how I've loved you all these time."

Sasuke reminisced all the things he'd done to her and wondered if she still remembered. Would it be better if she didn't?

He smiled a bitter smile, realizing the fact that at this moment, she doesn't remember anything. Her infant mind was already empty of all the memories they had, and his heart felt like crumbling because the girl who had always filled his heart wasn't in a state to comprehend what he just said.

 _'_ _But maybe this was for the best.'_ He thought once more, and nodded more to himself to secure his resolve.

Unknown to Sasuke, he has long since caught the attention of the infant. Sasuke blinked once, twice as he realized that Sakura's big green eyes were staring at him. A teardrop fell from the corner of his eyes and he knew that the infant saw.

Sakura started moving towards him, leaving the warmth of his palm which settled on her cheek. Sasuke thought she'd move away, but to his surprise, she crawled closer to him and reached out to touch his cheek, when the unthinkable happened.

Sakura leaned over him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The kiss was gentle. It was innocent. And it was at that moment that Sasuke realized that it was already Sakura who was rubbing his cheek with her soft tiny palms, laying her tiny form beside him, nuzzling his warmth, clutching the collars of his shirt and staying there.

He heard her whisper. It was faint but Sasuke was certain that it was his name which she whispered.

In her own garbled form, Sakura was able to whisper his name, _Sasuke_. His breath was caught in his throat and his eyes widened in both fear and amusement.

Does she understand?

All along, does Sakura understand?

"Sakura," He called. But when he looked at her, she was already asleep, her form, molded with his until a gentle smile settled on his lips as he kissed the top of her head letting her drift to her dreamland.

"You're going to be okay, Sakura. You're going to be okay." He whispered.

* * *

AN: Here's Chapter 8 people! What do you think?

It was kinda difficult to make Sasuke feel. But I believe he feels okay. He has a heart. Stop branding him as someone who's heartless. We have our moments. :)))

Okay. So clearly, I underestimated the number of chapters. HAHAHA! Anyway, and as obvious as it seems, this isn't the last chapter. :D Still actually, typing my way through it! I have to finish it before exam week comes. Ugh. So expect another update sometime soon. It may or may not be the end, but hey, you'll know. :D

As always, I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone who followed, reviewed and clicked 'favorite' on this story of mine. Continue being awesome! Be safe guys, and may Kami bless all our miserable lives until the next update.

See you!

P.S.: The title of this chapter came from one of my all time favorite animes. If you haven't watched it yet. Check it out. :)


	9. Chapter 9: Surprise Again!

**Chapter 9: Surprise Again!**

* * *

Naruto and Shizune returned to the Uchiha manor later that afternoon and found Sasuke sleeping with the infant, Sakura.

Shizune went to her room while Naruto plopped himself beside them when he heard Sasuke speak.

"Where's Kakashi?" He asked.

"Oy, Teme! I thought you were asleep!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No. I just couldn't move." He answered, pointing to Sakura who used his arm as a pillow.

Naruto poked the side of Sakura's thigh, then her stomach and finally her cheek.

"What do you think you're doing, you, idiot?" Sasuke asked, watching Naruto as he continued to poke several of Sakura's body parts.

"I'm trying to stir her away from your arm." He whispered.

"Stop it!" Sasuke hissed. But Sakura did stir and move away from his arm while she was still asleep.

"See, Teme? Told you it would work." The blonde ninja said cockily.

Naruto sat up on the futon as Sasuke also rose. The blonde ninja answered his best friend's first question.

"Kakashi's still with Tsunade. They lost the signal on Shikamaru's team and they're trying to reconnect it in order to locate them."

Sasuke remained silent but Naruto noticed his stillness. The latter knew that Sasuke wanted to be at the tower, but he was torn between wanting to help and not wanting to leave Sakura's side. Furthermore, the Godaime wasn't very fond of him, and Sasuke knew that. So he only made it to a point to be at the Hokage's office if his services were called for.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm sure everything's going to be fine." Naruto said.

"But we're running out of time." Sasuke muttered.

"Teme, Sakura's going to be fine." The blonde ninja assured him and peered over Sakura. "See, she's even awake now."

Naruto made a face to try and make Sakura laugh but instead of hearing laughter, the pink-haired shinobi belted a shrilly cry.

"Dammit, Naruto! It's the first time she cried today!" Sasuke scolded.

"What? But, I didn't mean to!"

"It's because of your ugly face." Sasuke mocked.

"Oy, Teme! You—." But Naruto snubbed Sasuke and turned his attention towards little Sakura. "Now how does Kakashi do it again?" He muttered to himself and picked Sakura up.

"Hmm…she seems kinda heavy?" Naruto commented.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Well that's because her diaper's full, silly. Now, give me the little girl and I'll take care of it." Shizune offered when she entered the main wing.

* * *

It was an early night for the Uchiha manor that night. Naruto stayed at home and Shizune prepared their dinner. After eating their meals and taking their respective baths, they killed the time by lounging at the main wing where they taught Sakura how to speak as they kept hearing her mumble all the time.

"C'mon Sakura, you can do it! It's Naruto. Na-ru-to." Naruto urged the pink-haired shinobi to learn his name after being able to muster Shizune and Sasuke's name after several tries.

He remembered that Sakura pronounced Shizune as _Ji-ju-ne_ and Sasuke as _Das-ke,_ but when it came to Naruto she won't even try and just pouted her lips.

"It seems to me that she hates you, Naruto." Shizune teased.

"That's because this idiot right here disturbed her sleep. Nobody wants their sleep to be disturbed, even for a baby." Sasuke muttered. When suddenly, Kakashi poofed in front of them gaining a squeal from the infant who witnessed the smoke cloud.

"Yo." The silver-haired shinobi greeted.

"How's Lady Tsunade?" It was Shizune who asked first.

"She told me to tell you that she's going to drink her ass off until she passes out." Kakashi replied, earning a face-palm from the Godaime's assistant. It was Sasuke's turn to ask, as Naruto still busied himself in teaching Sakura his name.

"How about Shikamaru's team? Have you located them?"

The silver-haired shinobi nodded.

"They're actually a few miles near the border to Konoha already. They're signal got cut off because they encountered a storm on their way home."

Sasuke relaxed a little because of the information Kakashi told him.

"I'm not going to stay long though, I just need to get some things, then I'll have to head back to the tower." Kakashi said. Sasuke and Shizune nodded when Naruto suddenly disrupted their conversation.

"Okay! Our Sakura has learned a few words today!" Naruto said proudly. Kakashi smiled at the display of fun and affection the team had over the baby. He decided to stay for a bit and witness what Naruto had been up to.

"Sakura is going to name all of us, in this room. That's right! Our little girl right here has learned our names in just a short span of time. Even yours Kakashi!" The blonde ninja pointed to his former sensei.

" _Ashi!"_ Sakura exclaimed.

"See!" Naruto beamed at the little girl and urged her to try again.

"Okay, let's try it one more time, Sakura." Naruto pointed at Shizune.

" _Ji-ju-ne."_ The little shinobi mumbled, earning an applause from all those present in the room. Naruto pointed next to Kakashi. The silver-haired ninja actually went still, anticipating the sound of his name on the little girl's lips. But Naruto made a subtle signal and Sakura's petite face frowned for a moment then suddenly she radiated an adorable smile.

Naruto pointed to Kakashi one more time, and the next words that came out of the little shinobi's lips had them laughing while Kakashi slightly blushed because of it.

Sakura just called him _'papa.'_

But when Naruto pointed to Sasuke, the pink-haired ninja mumbled _papa_ too, and finally, when it came to Naruto. Sakura mumbled the words ' _mama'_ , which had them clutching their bellies because of the strength of their laughter.

"Oh god, that was a good one, Naruto." Shizune commented in between laughs, earning a scowl from the kyuubi. Sasuke remained silent but there was obviously a smirk plastered on his face.

"I guess Sakura only remembers you for your sexy jutsu." Kakashi remarked as he went near Sakura and lifted her up. "You're a good girl aren't you?" Kakashi told her, as he gently ruffled the little girl's hair with his free hand.

Eventually, Kakashi had to leave again but assured them that he'll be back to inform them about team Shikamaru's progress.

They perfectly knew that Sakura's time was slowly running out, and that she'd probably disappear at the crack of dawn, but when Kakashi told Naruto and Sasuke that Shikamaru's team was about to make it back, they relaxed considerably. The mission was handed to Shikamaru acting as the team leader, and they knew that their friend was the boy genius even back on their genin days. That mere thought gave them the assurance to allow themselves to play with Sakura until she eventually fell asleep.

Before going to bed, Shizune changed Sakura into a more comfortable sleep wear, and in place of her usual diaper, a soft cotton underwear was in place. The Godaime's assistant then excused herself to finally go to the privacy of the guest room given to her until the only ones who were left awake were Naruto and Sasuke, laying on the futons they placed in the main living room, guarding the sleeping infant in between them.

After turning off the lights inside the mansion, both of them decided to let the shoji doors stay open so that the dainty glow of the moonlight could seep through the room.

"And now we wait." Naruto whispered.

"And waiting is the hardest part." Sasuke whispered back, his body facing Sakura's sleeping form.

"You know she won't disappear right, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, taking note of how the blonde ninja used his name instead of his usual ' _Teme,'_ Sasuke knew that his best friend was, in all honesty, nervous. So this time, Sasuke decided that it was his time to assure his friend.

"Don't worry. She won't." He whispered firmly, catching a glimpse of smile from his friend before they finally drifted towards their own slumber.

When Sasuke awoke in the middle of the night, his body clock told him that it was only about half past two in the morning. But he instantly bolted upright the moment he noticed that Sakura was missing.

"Goddamit!" Sasuke muttered under his breath as he scrambled to his feet to search for the missing baby.

 _'She likes doing this stuff, likes to make me worry too much. She's so annoying.'_ He continued muttering internally.

It didn't take him long though, to find Sakura. Because the moment he stood up, Kakashi greeted him, with his usual hand wave.

He was seated on a huge wooden arm chair pushed at one corner of the room with Sakura sleeping peacefully on his belly. Sasuke noticed that Kakashi was gently tapping Sakura's behind. He exhaled a frustrated breath.

"She's a sneaky little girl you know. I found her outside, almost at the lawn, probably gonna visit the koi pond again." Kakashi started, as Sasuke made his way on one of the sofas near him and lied down. "She has 'ninja' written all over her. Sneaky little girl indeed." Kakashi smiled.

"Kakashi." Sasuke called to his former sensei.

"Hmm?"

Sasuke wasn't usually used in asking for help, but if Sakura was going to stay an infant, he had to learn the works immediately.

"H-how…how do you make her calm down?" the raven-haired shinobi asked, earning a crinkle of smile on Kakashi's visible eye.

"It's actually really simple. You just have to know where and how to touch her." His former sensei stated, when Sasuke shot him an evil eye. Kakashi laughed softly.

"It's not what you think. It probably is, but not quite." Kakashi said.

"Just get to the point." Sasuke muttered.

"First, you have to be calm when you approach her… _most especially_ when you carry her, because Sakura can feel your heartbeat. And when she feels that you're uncomfortable, Sakura actually doubles what you feel, that's why she throws her tantrums sometimes."

Sasuke started creating mental notes on what Kakashi was saying.

"The next one is…if she's still crying after you've carried her, rub her back gently; and if you feel like she's squirming in your arms, let your hand reach her backside. She likes being rubbed in her behind…"

Kakashi let out an involuntary cough, fully comprehending the underlying message on what he just said. So he tried to restructure it, lest he wants a war to start between him and Sasuke. "Her child form, I mean." He added, hastily.

"Finally, if you want her to fall asleep, instead of rubbing her back side, you have to make soft tapping movements, like this." Sasuke turned his head to look at his former sensei, his mangekyo sharingan activated, only to take note of the proper way to do the _'soft tapping movements.'_

"And if none of it work, start humming. The vibrations of the voice could also calm her down. You can also rock her from side to side, that's a bonus." Kakashi said.

Sasuke was about to ask something more when two Anbu members materialized in the front lawn. Sasuke and Kakashi immediately stood up as their presence was a sign that something was amiss.

Naruto also bolted up, with Shizune appearing a few moments later. All of them had been awake all along. They've probably anticipated something like this to happen. After all, they believed in the saying about ' _The calm before the storm,'_ and this was it.

"The Lady Hokage has requested your urgent presence in the tower now." The member in the cat mask said. All of them nodded, and without even questioning further, the shinobis made their way to the Hokage tower.

* * *

"Shikamaru's team had encountered rogue ninjas on their way back, and now they've permanently lost all connection to us." Tsunade said, pacing back and forth behind her desk.

"But how could this happen Grandma? I thought they were near the Konoha boarders?" Naruto asked.

"The last message we got from them was Shikamaru saying that they got trapped on a very elaborate genjutsu. No more, no less, because the signal got cut." Tsunade explained.

"Where was the last signal located?" Sasuke asked.

Tsunade spread a map before her and pointed at a location where the signal was, before it disappeared.

"I'll go." Sasuke said decisively.

"I'll go with you, Teme!" Naruto added.

"Very well," Tsunade agreed. "Kakashi, you stay with Sakura. Naruto, Sasuke, go and rescue team Shikamaru."

Both ninjas nodded and almost immediately, they disappeared from the sight of those present in the Hokage office.

"It's now up to them to bring Shikamaru's team back." Tsunade said. Thinking about the four-man group that created Team Shikamaru. The leader himself, Ino, Choji and the ex-root member Sai.

The Godaime sighed.

* * *

Kakashi was led to one of the rooms of the Hokage residence. He almost forgot that aside from being the office of the Hokage, it was also a mansion, which may serve as a hotel when the Kages of the different nations come and visit.

Upon entering the room allotted to him, he immediately removed his hitai-ate and released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He didn't even bother turning the lights on as the glow of the moonlight seeping through his window calmed him. Then he heard the soft mumbling and cooing, and he could feel the infant's movements in his arms.

Kakashi looked at the bundle below his chin and saw that Sakura was already awake. Her tiny arms reaching up to him. He gently rocked her and tapped her behind, consciously following the pieces of advice he told Sasuke, but the pink-haired shinobi refused to go back to sleep.

"You're nervous too, aren't you?" Kakashi asked. Softly whispering his words to the infant who was intensely staring at him.

Kakashi traveled his gaze towards the window and realized that it was only a few more hours before the crack of dawn. He suddenly felt cold. A shiver running across his spine.

 _'This doesn't feel good. Something's wrong.'_ He thought.

He tried his best to force himself to stay calm even when he could feel the tendrils of anxiety creeping up to him. But he wasn't managing it quite well. He was so fearful and terrified of the fact that another person extremely important to him was to disappear again, and it hurt him, it hurt him up to the pit of his stomach, that once again, he couldn't do anything to prevent death.

His gaze almost faltered until he felt himself bumping on the nearest table. He almost lost his balance, but soft warm hands stilled him. It was Sakura's hands reaching up to him.

He slowly felt himself relax. Loosening the tight grip he had on the infant. It surprised him that Sakura didn't even make a sound despite his obvious distress, and once more, when he stared in her deep sea foam eyes, he calmed down, and smiled behind his mask.

"Thank you." He whispered to her.

Sakura mumbled her words. Mumbling sounds that weren't even intelligible. But it calmed him, and Kakashi held Sakura closer to him more than ever.

Kakashi felt Sakura's tiny hands travel to the rest of his face. Unconsciously tracing his features. Unconsciously running her warm soft hands over his scar. When he felt her fingers clutch at the ends of his mask, he stilled. Even his breathing stopped as he stared deep in her eyes, lost in the tranquility it offered.

He felt his mask slowly being pulled down, and he allowed it, accepted it even. Accepted the fact that he needed to be released. He closed his eyes as he let his mask fall down, pooling on the base of his neck, he felt free.

The next thing he felt was Sakura's gentle touch on his lips. Soft lingering touches that brought him to kiss Sakura's forehead.

"I won't let you disappear." He whispered to her. "I promise."

* * *

Kakashi cracked his eyes open, it was still relatively dark outside, he thought. He had his mask back on but he didn't know when and how he'd fallen asleep, he just felt himself stretched on his bed with a heavy numbness on his chest. He tried moving, but he felt restrained.

"What the?" He whispered.

He cursed himself for not having his Sharingan right now when he most needed it. His vision had a difficult time adjusting to the darkness of the room, so he opted to just feel his way through despite the numbness he was feeling.

He tried moving his head but it felt as though there was something blocking his neck, restraining his movement. So he shifted his focus to his arms. He found out that he could freely use his left hand, but his right proved otherwise; so he settled for his left to move its way through the dark.

When Kakashi reached his hand to the part of his body which was numb, his touch was met by something that was soft and smooth…and round?

He squeezed it. And he heard a soft moan below him. He squeezed again, and felt movement all over the bed. He tried his best to crane his neck and get up. When he was half way through his sitting position, the door to his room suddenly sprung open, and the brightness of the light from the hallway filtered its way in.

"Kakashi! We have the cure!" it was Naruto. But when he turned to look at them, they were dead set on their feet, an utterly shocked expression was evident on the faces of those who were present except for one.

Naruto and Choji looked traumatized.

Shikamaru had his palm on his face.

Ino's mouth was wide open.

Sai's face still showed indifference, but his eyes were wide.

But the look on Sasuke's faced screamed _'murder.'_

Kakashi was afraid to look down but his inner shinobi forced him to do so. That's when he realized that the reason why his movement was so restrained was because he had Sakura's lithe and supple body draped over him.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck; her slender legs were draped over his torso. And her clothes…

"Oh shit." He muttered under his breath.

Her clothes almost covered none of the important parts. The pieces of cloth which were once baby clothes covered only half of her breasts, showing a great view of her under boobs and her beautiful flat stomach. And her underwear…

He felt blood slowly dripping out of his nose.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke whispered.

And that's when he heard it…heard the god of death calling onto him, and his only response to it was…

"Yo." Adorned with the all too familiar crinkle in his eyes.

* * *

Tsunade heard the commotion all the way in her office followed by her assistant sighing loudly beside her.

"You've just started a world war, you know that right, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked as she watched her master sip her sake.

"Oh, they'll get over it. What's important is I've got the scroll back." The Godaime said giddily. "I've won the bet against Mei! Hahahaha! She's gotta pay for it!" Tsunade boisterously exclaimed.

Shizune shook her head and once again sighed as she allowed her master to laugh her head off to her heart's content, not minding the fact that half of the Hokage's residence might probably be on fire right at this very moment.

 **~End~**

* * *

AN: And there you have it! The _Final Chapter_ of this story. :)

Now, I have finally understood the reason why it was so difficult for me to determine the pairing. That's because _I think, and I believe_ that there's no pairing at all. It's just full of fluff and humor and romance (?) that no exact pairing was mentioned. Hahaha. But I hoped you liked it!

And finally, I would like to thank those people who constantly supported this very first story of mine. You guys are the best. Keep remembering that. I'm really, really grateful.

Finally, You may visit my tumblr, [just click on my profile and look for the link] and send me _writing prompts_ if you want. And I'll try my best to come up with another story if time permits.

Keep reading Naruto fanfics! There's still a lot of great stories out there for you to discover.

Love,

Kaminari Ozora


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